Guide You Home
by APureHeart
Summary: Elena has been a foster kid her whole life, the day she goes out there, trying to find her roots and herself, she meets someone, a man, that will change her life forever. Someone that gives her hope again.
1. Stand In The Rain

**I don't own anything. The characters all belong to CW.**

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**Summary:**

**Elena has been a foster kid her whole life, switching between several foster families, she never really found a place that she could call her home. Things take a dramatically change when she finds herself on the porch of her birth father. During the journey of trying to find her place in the world and figuring out who she truly is, she mets someone, a man, who will change her life forever. Someone to hold on to. Someone who makes her feel safe. Someone to love.**_**  
**_

**It's a journey of a young girl searching to find her place in the world, wanting to start believing again. And as Elena struggles with the difficulties of her new life in a place she never imagined, she finds something different, something she didn't believe existed anymore – Love - in someone she isn't allowed to.**

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******GUIDE YOU HOME  
**

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**PROLOGUE: Stand In The Rain**

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**_She won't make a sound._**

_**Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down.**_

_**She wants to be found.**_

_**The only way out is through everything she's**_

_**running from wants to give up and lie down.**_

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_Charles Dickens once said "Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration" – his words were wise, spoken from the deepest spots in his heart, from his inner belief. But after all the pain, the fear that the universe had put me through, I couldn't push myself to believe in them, not anymore. Having a home, a place where people love you not because of who or what you are but despite of it, a place where you can feel safe in the embrace of a family - of your family – where you are always welcome. A place that sounds so wonderful, so meaningful but still so surreal to me. I never had any of this nor will I probably ever have it, a family, a home._

_I guessed that was the downside of being a foster kid since I was a baby, the always being alone. The people here from the foster care kept telling me that one day I wouldn't have to be alone anymore, that a nice couple would take me in and love me like their own daughter, and I could for once feel like I belonged to someone, have a normal family. But there came a day, when it just got too hard to believe in it – the stories about families, the fairytales – because I realized that they were just that, stories, fairytales. These things didn't happen to kids like me, to outcasts._

The ringing from the alarm clock pierced through my ears, forcing me to lift my head, my eyes opening a slit wide. I stirred and searched for the button to turn the annoying sound of my alarm off, not wanting to get up just yet. I turned around, burying my head deep in the soft old pillow that covered the upper side of my bed. I groaned – five more minutes. Five more minutes of sleep and I'd have woken up in a cheery mood. This dream, it had seemed so perfect, so peaceful, so... free. Everything about it had felt so good, light as if I could fly, run away from the horror that had taken a permanent place in my life. And for just a tiny bit of a moment, it felt like it was real. But then reality set in, and with it the cruel truth of my human existence. I wasn't free, not as long as I lived there, under the roof of those people who only craved money and couldn't care less about me.  
And as someone had read my thoughts, I could hear the stamping footsteps that rose up the stairs, getting louder with every move towards my bedroom. The door flew open, revealing the crinkling face of my 'foster dad' – Dad, even thinking about him in that way made me cringe. He and his wife, my so-called foster parents, together with their six other foster kids never felt like my family, because they never were. No one ever really was my family. My whole life, it was just me. Myself and I in a constant battle against the world.

"Elena!" his deep voice shouted at me. "Get your lazy ass down in the kitchen, it's time for school."

I groaned against my pillow. "I'll be downstairs in a minute, Frank."

I could hear him grumble in anger before he tore the blanket away from my freezing body, exposing me in my short PJ's. "Now, Elena."

Knowing that nothing could make him leave, I got up and rubbed my tired eyes with my fists, mumbling. "I'm up! You can leave now…"

"I expect to see you at the breakfast table in five minutes. If not, I'll drag you there by myself," he said in a raised voice, making his way over to the door. "Understood?"

"Understood."

Shooting me a last disapproving glance, he slammed the door behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Letting my shoulders slump, my gaze wandered around the room that I had called 'home' since they dragged me here six months ago. I didn't like it, I didn't even want to be there but at least I had a comfortable bed and I got something to eat three times a day – in my case, that's all I needed. I never really expected to get more, so I settled for what I got.

I stretched my arms as I slowly dragged myself out of bed and made my way over to the bathroom, ruffling my hair with my hands. Exhausted. That was the exact word to describe my mood right now. Not just tired, simply exhausted.  
I suppose re-reading my favourite book all night didn't really help it – _On My Way_ by Miranda Sommers was the most epic and most beautiful book I'd ever read. Something about the story she told was special – maybe because I wished it was mine sometimes - a mother wanting to find her kid that she gave away so many years ago, wanting to embrace her and hold her till the sun goes down. The regret of giving her little daughter away and the hurt in her eyes, the pain inside of her heart.  
Or maybe because it gave me some hope - hope that my mother had searched for me, had actually wanted me, and still loved me even when I wasn't there – hope, the only thing that remained in my mind while reading that book. The hope for something better… something real.

…

Fully dressed in a dark blue jeans, a black tank top, a grey jacket and my old black Converse shoes, I grabbed my school bag and keys and ran down the stairs into the kitchen, tying my hair into a messy ponytail.

"Morning," I mumbled as I entered the kitchen, putting my bag on the floor.

I simply ignored Ashley, my foster mother, who was sitting on the kitchen table drinking coffee, and wandered around the kitchen. Putting some bread into the toaster, I moved over to the fridge, looked into it searching for my own personal stock on strawberry jam. I grabbed it, and turned it around in my hands, putting off the lid.  
Just as I wanted to turn around and go back to the toaster, a sudden ache spread through my head, making me cringe. My heart bumped hard against my chest. My hands started shaking, my grip slowly loosening on the jar. My eyes squinting, I tried to ignore the pain moving through my whole body, the shattering of glass piercing through my ears.

My trembling hands moved to my head. Screaming and shrieking that probably came from Amelia, my foster sister and the only one in this household that I actually cared about filled the kitchen. I ignored it – all I wanted was for this pain to stop, to stop from eating me from the inside out.  
I felt a little hand grabbing mine, trying to give me support, as the hurt slowly seemed to lessen. Bit for bit, it disappeared. The hand still squeezed mine. I carefully opened my eyes, looking down, and gazed into the teary eyes of Amelia.

A small smile crossed my lips, as I heard her whisper. "You're okay, 'Lena?"

I squeezed her hand in comfort. "I'm fine, little one."

Amelia's emerald eyes lit up, her tears dried out, she swung her little arms around my lower body. I knew that she was worried about me and these constant headaches that seemed to come and go whenever they wanted, so I just held her.

"I'm okay, Amelia", I whispered softly.

She lifted her head and gave me a small smile before letting go of me and settling herself down on a chair beside Ashley, who eyed me suspiciously. I looked around the kitchen, and noticed the broken jar on the floor.  
I grabbed a towel and kneeled down besides the mess I made, ignoring Frank's angry glares as he entered the kitchen. I sighed, this day could only get better now.

"What the hell did you do now again, Elena?", he spat.

I didn't answer, just simply continued cleaning the kitchen tiles with the towel. Before I could react in any way, I felt him grab my arm, yanking me up to look into his dark brown eyes.

"What did you do, Elena?" he asked once again, his voice angry and harsh.

I looked into his eyes, freeing myself out of his grip. "Nothing. It was just an accident, I swear."

He snorted. "Do you actually think I'd believe that?"

"It's the truth," I said in a steady voice, taking a step back from him. "But believe what you want, I don't really care."

With that, I grabbed my bag from the floor and turned around, no longer wanting to be in his presence. Everything about this man disgusted me, his laugh, his face, his cruel personality. He didn't care about us foster kids, he did it for the stupid money so he could continue buying his 'oh so precious' alcohol.

"Elena! You're gonna clean this up!" he shouted. "You hear me? You won't leave this house until this mess has disappeared!"

"Screw you," I mumbled, not looking back at him.

I heard his screams, his angry voice telling me to stop in my tracks and come back but I didn't care. I just wanted to leave the house, and that as soon as possible. I tightened the grip around my bag, walking through the front door and slamming it behind me. The ache in my head kept coming back, but I fought it not wanting to appear weak in this moment. I needed to be strong now, like I've always had been. My whole life I fought against everyone and everything, never letting someone get too close to me – except for one person.

A smile crept on my face as I thought about him – caring, protecting Elijah – my best friend, my brother, the only one I ever considered as a kind of family. Of course he wasn't my real brother, but he was the only person in my life who never really left me and that made him more my family than any other human being that had ever made an appearance in my life.  
Everyone left me, but not he. Not Elijah.

I walked through the streets of Richmond, passing house after house, knowing exactly where my feet were dragging me. I was supposed to go for school, but that was the last topic I could think about right now. Today was one of these stupid days again – I'd have to meet up with my social worker Mollie and talk about my life with my new 'family'. I'd tell her how much I loved it there and that I was happy. That's how these things worked, nobody cared if we were actually happy.

My hands in my pockets, I continued on my way. I walked and walked, ignoring all my surroundings till I reached my destination. I climbed up the fire escape to his apartment, and knocked on the window, knowing that he was awake. My mouth twitched upwards, a smile forming on my lips as his familiar face appeared from behind the bedroom door.  
He made his way over to the window, having no intention to open it and just stared at me, a big knowing smile on his face.

"Elijah! Come on, open the window!" I said. "I'm freezing."

He folded his arms across his chest. "What did you say? I didn't quite hear you."

"Elijah.." I sighed, trembling.

"What did you say?" he answered playfully.

"Fine," I said. "Could you, good and handsome Elijah, please open the window and let me into your lovely home?"

He chuckled quietly before opening the window and shooting me an amused look. "See, you can actually be nice."

Instead of answering, I stuck out my tongue at him and climbed through the window finding a firm hold on his shoulders. Without saying another word, he closed me in his embrace and held me close, knowing that this was exactly what I needed on a day like this.

"Eli, it's okay," I whispered, freeing myself out of his arms and moving further into the apartment.

He gave me a small smile, following me. "Want a coffee before your big meeting with Mollie?"

"That'd be fantastic."

He nodded with his head towards the kitchen, swinging his arm around my shoulders. "Come on then, let's prepare you for this horrible day."

…

Fifteen minutes and a coffee later, we sat quietly at his kitchen table both enjoying the silence and the unspoken, but existent words between us. Elijah knew exactly how I felt about these days on which I had to meet up with my social worker – it wasn't about meeting Mollie or actually talking to her, it was about the lying at her. Mollie always had been there for me, no matter how hard I had tried to push her away, or how often I had shouted at her to leave me alone because no because nobody really cared about me, about my well-being. The difference with Mollie was that she actually did care.

"Elena?" Elijah's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at him, tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

He took my hand in his. "Elena… You don't have to live like this, you know. You could just tell Mollie the truth… I'm sure she can find you another family."

"I know, but I.. I can't okay?" I answered, my voice trembling. "You're a kid like me, Elijah… You know how it is to be passed back and forth between foster families, I just want to stay at this family till I'm eighteen and can live in an apartment on my own – no matter how screwed up it is at Frank and Ashley's place, it's better than living in some orphanage. Besides, I can't leave Amelia alone… I couldn't do that to her. She hates it as much as I do there, Eli. I can't leave her."

He nodded, squeezing my hand in understanding. "I understand. It's okay."

I smiled gratefully at him, knowing that no other words were needed. That's how Elijah and I worked, the never saying anything but still the always being there. Even when I sometimes had the feeling that I was alone in the world, I knew he always had my back – he would always stand silently behind me, watching over me, protecting me, making sure I'm okay. That was the Elijah I learned to love since I had was eight years old – a little girl, scared and lonely, wanting someone to hold her at night - and that was the Elijah I had always loved.

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After spending the whole morning with Elijah, I dragged myself over to the café where I was supposed to meet up with Mollie. It didn't take me long to spot her familiar face under the costumers of the little lunch bar – her shiny red hair, her emerald green eyes and her always so welcoming smile simply stood out of the crowd.  
As soon as she laid eyes on me, she waved me over to her table and gave me a comforting hug.

"Elena!" she greeted me. "How are you, honey?"

I smiled happily at her, taking place on the chair beside hers. "I'm good, thanks. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm good. Work is stressful, same old stuff you know," she said winking.

I let out a small laugh, positioning myself in the chair and playing nervously with my hands. Mollie always gave her best to make me feel comfortable talking to her, I was glad to have her as my social worker – most of them wouldn't even bother to actually listen to me – Mollie, she did listen. Carefully, and capturing every word in her head, one look into my eyes and she knew the truth.

"So, Elena.." she began in her normal friendly voice. "How have things been lately? Are the Muller's treating you right?"

I took a deep breath, preparing myself to lie, just like I always did at these conversations. "Things have been good, I guess. Frank and Ashley have been really nice to me in the past months, I appreciate them taking me in very much."

I felt Mollie's eyes watching me suspiciously before she spoke up, in a serious voice. "Elena, don't lie to me. I know you, and I know when you're not speaking the truth. So tell me, are you happy?"

Imposing a smile, I said. "Of course I am. I have a bed, a house, a… nice family who took me in. I couldn't ask for more now, could I?"

"Stop it, Elena!" the normally quiet Mollie exclaimed.

My gaze wandered down to my hands as I mumbled. "No, I'm not happy. Not really."

"I know," she paused, her voice softened as she continued speaking. "I.. I'm not supposed to tell you this but I found something out."

My eyes shot up, meeting her green ones in question. "What do you mean?"

Mollie reached over the table, taking my hand in hers. "I did some digging the other day, about what happened to you after your birth parents gave you away. And thereby I stumbled over your dad's files…"

"What? I don't understand, I.." I stuttered, not really knowing how to process all these information's.

"Elena, your birth father lives nearby – he lives in Mystic Falls."

My heart bumping reflected in my ears, an uneasy feeling spread through my stomach, my feelings confused. My birthfather, my dad, the man who gave me away the moment I was born – was I supposed to be happy about knowing that he was alive? Sad that he had never looked for me in all these years? Or rather upset because he and my birth mother abounded me, just like that?

"Elena?" she asked. "You're okay?"

I looked at her in confusion. "You mean, he… he… Do you have his address? His name?"

"I do. His name is Grayson Gilbert," she said. "He has a little service station in Mystic Falls, his business is doing pretty good. And he lives over his garage, no wife, no kids. It's just him, Elena."

I processed her words in my head; he didn't have a family, which meant that I was his only kid. His only daughter.

"Could I.. I mean would it be possible for me to go and see him?"

"Of course, I mean I'd have to talk with the people from foster care first but.." Mollie rambled but I cut her off.

"No, I mean as in now. I wanna know who I am, Mollie. I wanna know my roots, I wanna know if I have his eyes, if I laugh like him or if I have this annoying habit to bit my lip from him, " I chuckled, tears forming in my eyes, my head shaking in protest. "I wanna know why he gave me up, I want him to look into my eyes and tell me why he gave me away. Did he and my birth mom ever consider keeping me? Wasn't I good enough for them?"

She sighed. "Elena.."

"Please!" I begged her, a small tear escaping my eye.

I could see her struggling with herself, the social worker and the human being, Mollie, arguing in her head, about what was the right thing to do. I knew it was selfish to ask something like that from her, but after all it was my birth father – maybe, after all these years of being alone, of wishing to have a real family someday, after giving up hope so many times, I still was this little girl who grew up under people who didn't gave a shit about her and who just wanted to be loved. By someone. Anyone.

I heard her sighing, thereby bringing my attention back to her. "I wish I could help you Elena, but I can't risk losing my job. I'm sorry."

She squeezed my hand a last time before she got up from her chair. I looked up at her, my eyes pleading for some information, anything that would give me a hint. I wanted to shout at her, hit her, everything just to make her talk. She couldn't do that – telling me something like this and then just leave. No, that wasn't right. I deserved to know the truth, about myself, about my birthparents, about everything.  
Just as I wanted to open my mouth to freak out on her, she placed a bunch of files on the table, her gaze watching me.

"I can't help you finding your dad, Elena. I'm not allowed to," she explained. "But I'll give you this, there is everything you need to know about yourself. About your parents. We will just say I forgot it here, and that you found it."

She smiled at me, that welcoming smile of hers that always made me feel like the world wasn't too bad after all. I mouthed a small "Thank you", placing my hand on the folder.

"Goodbye Elena," Mollie turned around and walked away from me, slowly disappearing into the crowd of people, leaving me alone with my thoughts, my confusion and… My gaze wandered to the table - the folder that contained my whole life on papers.

* * *

I knocked hysterically on Elijah's door, my grip tightening around the big folder in my arms. My impatience grew with every minute that passed, my thoughts spinning around only one subject – my birthfather. I needed to see him, I needed to talk to him and know the truth. The truth that had defined my whole life. I knocked again, louder and more determined this time. Damn it, where the hell was he?

Only seconds later, the front door of his apartment opened, revealing a confused Elijah. I stormed passed him, my grip still around the files in my arms, ignoring his puzzled looks and his murmured words. I needed to tell him, now. I couldn't hold it together anymore; it was eating me up inside. So I turned around to him, seeing him as he closed the door behind me.

He shot me a questioning look. "What the hell? Elena?"

My gaze wandered around the room, searching any hint of how to start this conversation. As kids, Elijah and I spent nights together imagining how our birthparents would show up one day and take us home with them. We imagined how they would look like, what they were like, and if we were anything like them. We could talk for hours about them without having any clue about their personality – for us they were always great parents. The one kind that would cuddle in bed with you and tell you Good Night stories so you could sleep at night, the kind who would always love you. And maybe one day, we imagined, they would actually exist… So if I couldn't trust Elijah with this, who could I trust then?

"I know where my birth father lives," I blurted out, covering my mouth with my hand immediately.

His eyes widened in shock. "What?"

I took a deep breath, sorting out all the thoughts and feelings that ran though my body before explaining him everything that Mollie had told me within the last hour. I told him exactly what she told me – how she asked me about Frank and Ashley, if I was happy there. How I lied to her and she didn't believe me, how she told me that she had found out that Grayson Gilbert lived and owned a garage in Mystic Falls, that he had no family. I told him everything, every little detail leaving him speechless at some parts and smiling at other ones.

"She found him, Elijah. Mollie found my dad. It really has happened," I finished.

He let himself fall on the stool in his kitchen, looking at me with a staggered expression. "Woah! That sounds… amazing, Elena."

I settled myself beside him, and placed the folder on the table. "Do you think I should visit… I mean, do you think he'd want to see me after all these years?"

Elijah's hazel eyes softened. "To be honest, I have no idea. But Elena, this is what you always dreamed of – your dad. Your own family. You waited for this so long… you would be dumb not to adopt this chance."

"You think so?" I looked up at him in hope.

He laid both of his hands on my shoulders, shaking me. "Elena! This is it - the defining key moment in your life, don't waste time. Jump into the next bus and get your ass over to Mystic Falls, go talk to him. Go and get to know him."

A smile crept up on my lips. "You're right. I should probably…"

"Go!" he said enthusiastically.

I got up from the chair, grabbed the files from the table and just as I wanted to turn around, I felt his hand taking mine.

"Good luck, Elena."

I swung my arms around him, closing him in a grateful embrace. "Thank you, Eli. I don't know what I would do without you."

He laughed. "Probably nothing, you'd be a total lost cause if it weren't for me and my awesomeness."

I let go of him, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder. "Oh shut up, you!"

"What?" he held his hands up in surrender. "I just pointed out the obvious."

"You wish," I said, shaking my head in amusement and turning around to leave the room.

"Oh come on, you know it's the truth!" he yelled behind me.

"Bye Elijah," I shouted back at him, walking through the front door out into the hallway, a decision made – I would go and see my father, today.

…

An hour later, I climbed out of the bus. There I was, Mystic Falls, the hometown of my father. How that sounded – my father, my dad… I let my eyes wander over the streets, capturing the surroundings in my head like photographs, I wanted to remember this. All of it. Every single detail of the moment when I'd finally meet him for the first time in my entire life.

A big bubble formed itself in my stomach, my nervousness growing with every step I took. I was closer to him more than ever, nearer to my family.

During the whole drive over to Mystic Falls, I had placed the folder into my bag and thought about all the things I had to say to him. I mean, what would I tell him? That I was the daughter he gave away as a teenager?  
How could I tell him something about myself without letting him think that I was some messed up kid who only searched for some proper place to stay? How could I tell him that I hated him for abandoning me when I was a toddler but that I also missed him every day? And why should he even believe me? Right, I thought, I had the folder.

I walked past people, old and young, past houses, big and small, past grocery stores and pubs till I reached the place I was looking for – his service station – Grayson Gilbert's car shop. My whole life I waited for this one moment, the moment that could turn my whole life around. I made my way over to the front door of his little business, little steps, setting one foot before another, trying to ease my nerves.  
From the inside, I could her men's voices, talking, joking, and laughing. And one of these voices belonged to him. I slowly breathed in and out, my hands shaking, my heart bumping fast against my tiny chest, my thoughts exploding in my head before I tensely pushed the door open.

A bell rang, forcing the men's voices to stop laughing; three pair of eyes were now focused on me. I gulped. This was it.  
The tall man in the front, brown hair and hazel eyes that reminded me a lot of mine, wiped his hands off with a cloth as he spoke up, his words directed at me.

"Hello. Can I help you, girl?" he asked.

I pressed my lips together, my hands trembling in apprehension as I tried to answer him. "I… I am.."

One of the other men, dark-skinned, deep brown eyes and black hair, cut me off, laughing. "You're assuredly a girl scout, aren't you?"

"I want chocolate chip cookies," said the third one, a muscular tall man with blond hair and blue shiny eyes. "So delicious."

"Come on guys, let her be," the brown-haired man in the front spoke up again and then turned to face me. "So, how can I help you? Want me to buy something from you or what?"

I took all my strength together and answered him. "Oh no… I'm not a girl scout."

As the words left my mouth I could hear the blond guy mumbling, making me bite back laughter. "Man, I've been looking forward to those chocolate cookies."

The guy's eyebrows in the background furrowed in question. "Who are you then?"

"I'm searching for Grayson Gilbert, he's the owner of the service station, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"That'd be me," the man in the front said. "And who are you if I might ask?"

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, my hands clenching into fists. I gazed around the room, the three pair of eyes now looking puzzled at me. This was the moment – the moment of the truth. The moment where my whole future would be decided.

"I'm not a girl scout… I'm… kind of… I'm your daughter," I breathed out trying to set up a smile, noticing how Grayson Gilbert's smile faded from his face, leaving a shocked expression behind.

* * *

_**So stand in the rain.**_

_**Stand your ground.**_

_**Stand up when it's all crashing down.**_

_**You stand through the pain.**_

_**You won't drown.**_

_**And one day, what's lost can be found.**_

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_**A/N: So that was it. The Prologue of my New Story - Guide You Home. This story is very different from the other one, it's gonna be a little darker, but I hope you'll read it anyway. I hope you liked the first chapter, I really do. And I'm not abandoning my other story, the inspiration is just not there at the moment - I'm sorry to leave you guys waiting on that one. **_

_**A special thanks goes to Mollie (EverythingBasedOnMe) for pre-reading this chapter and correcting the mistakes I made. She's one of the best authors out there and if you haven't read her fics yet - GO READ THEM NOW! She's awesome, thank you hun. And another thanks goes to Nour ****(HopelessromanticDE) who also looked over a bit of the chapter and is a great friend of mine - she just started her first fic, so go and read it, it's a great start.**_

_**Well, anyway thank you guys for reading and I'd really appreciate to hear your thoughts about this one.**_

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_**Twitter: PureHeart151  
**_

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_**Reviews are love! **_


	2. Running away

**I don't own anything. All the characters belong to CW.  
**

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**CHAPTER ONE: Running Away**

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_**Is it dark, where you are?****  
Can you count the stars where you are?  
Do you feel like you are a thousand miles from home?**_

_**Are you lost, where you are?**_  
_**Can you find your way when you're so far?**_  
_**Do you fear, where you are?  
**__**A thousand nights alone**_

* * *

**EPOV**

Complete silence filled the little service station. Nobody daring to say a word, curious and shocked looks were exchanged between the other two men while Grayson stood there motionless, his gaze not once leaving mine. I just stared back at him, my heart thumping against my chest. A thousands thoughts crossed my mind; thousands of words of what to say next, but not a single sound could leave my lips.

I could hear him sharpening his breath, his body showing no reaction to anything that had just happened around him. I waited, waited for anything, any kind of reaction to what I just revealed, but nothing came. Not a single word left his mouth.

"Woah," the blonde guy quietly murmured. "Gray, that's definitely not a girl scout."

"Nope," the other one agreed. "It's an actual girl."

"Well figured," I rolled my eyes at them, folding my arms across my chest. "You're actually one of the smart ones, aren't you?"

The tall, dark-skinned man let out a hard laugh, before walking past Grayson and the blond man and making his way over to where I was standing. I just looked at him, startled, not knowing how to react as he spoke up again. He was now able to keep his damn laughing under control.

"Feisty. I like you," he said, holding his hand out to me. "I'm Jonas by the way. Jonas Martin."

I smiled lightly at him while shaking his hand. "I'm Elena."

"Nice to meet you, Elena. And that weird guy over there," he said before pointing behind him to the blond man, who happened to be following this awkward situation with eagle eyes. "Is John Gilbert."

"Gilbert?" I gasped, a puzzled expression marking my face as my gaze wandered back and forth between the three men.

John's blue eyes met mine, a little smile forming on his lips as he prowled towards me. _John Gilbert_….

So he was related to Grayson, my father, which meant that he was related to me too. Thus meaning he was a part of the family. My family. I couldn't believe how much my life had changed in the last few hours. Not even in my biggest dreams had I imagined something that big happening to me.

I woke up that morning, alone. Just me, myself and I, in a battle against the world. Then all of a sudden, everything had changed. Not only had I just found out where my birth father lived, but I was standing in his service station.

"I suppose I'm your uncle then," John said as he came to a halt besides Grayson, patting him encouragingly on the shoulder. "Isn't that right, Gray?"

Grayson's head shot around to John. His eyes were full of confusion, his lips forming a small line as he asked in a flustered tone, "What?"

John shook his head. "Don't you want to say something to Elena, little bro? Anything?"

He looked over at me. Ignorance, apology, sadness and… for the slightest second I could see some sort of adoration marking his hazel eyes.

"You-you really are my daughter, aren't you?" he asked hesitantly.

I shrugged. "Looks like it; at least my file says so."

I looked at him curiously, waiting for his next move, his next words. But silence took over once again. I took a deep breath, my gaze shot over, eyes full of insecurity, to Jonas and John. They both gave me encouraging smiles.

"I know this comes as a big surprise to you," I rambled while I ran my hand nervously through my brown hair. "And I don't expect anything from you, not now and not in a couple of months or even years. I just… I wanna know who I am, you know… I-"

"Elena," Grayson cut me off, forcing me to look him in the eyes as he walked closer to me. "This is a surprise, a big one actually. But that doesn't mean that it is a bad one..."

My eyes widened in astonishment. "And you really mean that?"

He smiled lightly while placing his hands upon my shoulders. "Elena, if you really are my daughter, and by the looks of it you truly are, I will do whatever you want me to do. I know that you probably have a family that loves you and that you don't need a father, that you don't need me, but… but you're here for a reason and whatever reason that is, I'll help you with it."

Tears formed in my eyes, my head trying to process his words. I knew he was telling the truth, that he really wanted to be there for me. However, I didn't know how, but I knew it. In that exact moment, I'm not sure why, I already trusted him. There was something in his eyes that told me that he was honest. But there was something he was wrong about - I needed him. My whole life I had needed him.

I looked down, and in a low voice I said, "I… I don't have a family."

He gasped, letting his hands slid off of my shoulders. "What?"

"I don't have a family," I took a deep breath, slowly lifting my head. "Well, I live with these foster parents of mine, but I get a new pair every few months. My legal guardians have always been the people from the home… The families never really accepted me. Not in the way I am, the way I was. So, they decided to send me back to the Richmond orphanage. Every single one of them. But that's okay, you know. I'm used to it now, used to everybody leaving me."

"No, that's not okay, Elena," he said. His angered gaze wandered all over the walls of the service station. "I should have stopped her, I should have… We should have kept you. This is all my fault-"

"Her?" I cut him off. "My mom?"

His mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. Silence once again filled the room. I looked over at John and Jonas who seemed as shocked about this whole situation than I was.

Jonas gave me a reassuring smile. "Erm.. I think it might be better if John and I leave you alone. So you two can talk about this in private."

John nodded and gave Grayson an encouraging pat on the back. He turned around on his heels and made his way over to the exit, waiting for Jonas to join him. Jonas looked one last time at me, mouthing the words, "It's gonna be okay." He then gave me a light squeeze before following John outside the building, leaving me alone with my father for the first time ever.

"What was her name? What was she like? I mean…," I blurted out. "Does she still live here?"

He sighed. "Elena..."

"Please, Grayson!" I begged him.

"Fine," he said. "Let's sit down."

He grabbed two chairs from behind him, positioned them opposite from one another , before letting himself fall on one of them while waiting for me to do the same. Hesitantly, I sat down. A thousand thoughts flew through my mind. I wasn't sure of what I expected to happen.

"Your mom was an amazing and lovely girl, but she was also very insecure and lost. She was a lot like you in that department. We only went out on a few dates, but I instantly fell in love with her… and then… and then she got pregnant. With you," he took a deep breath. "And everything changed."

I listened carefully to every word that left his mouth, every emotion that came with the story of him and my birth mom. I stored every little detail in the back of my mind, never wanting him to stop.

"We were young and desperate. We didn't know what to do anymore. But we didn't have the heart to abort you; it didn't feel right. So we gave you away when you're born. People told us that you'd get adopted and have a wonderful life with a family who'd love you with everything they have…," he sighed. "Had we known that you'd never get adopted, had I known, I'd have wanted to keep you. Everything we ever wanted for you was for you to have a better life then you could've had with us."

"So you just gave me away? Just like that?"

He shook his head violently. "No, of course not. We just… we didn't have a choice, Elena. We could never have given you the life you deserved, the life that you still deserve…"

"You always have a choice," I whispered.

He didn't say anything. He only stared at me, pleading me with his brown doe eyes to understand, maybe even to forgive. To be able to understand why they did it, but how could I ever understand something like that? How could I ever forgive someone for doing that to me? For giving me away? For stealing my faith without a second thought, or a third?

So I asked him the only question that crossed my mind in that moment. I had to know more about myself, more about them.

"What was her name?" I breathed.

"Miranda Sommers," he said. "That's your mom."

My jaw fell open in shock, my heart skipped a beat, and my grip tightened on whatever I was holding. My eyes stared at him in disbelief. It couldn't be true, no, I refused to believe it. Miranda Sommers couldn't be my mom.

"Miranda Sommers as in the author Miranda Sommers?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said with a confused expression on his face. "You know her?"

Of all people, it couldn't be her, the woman that I had admired my whole life, whose book represented so many things that crossed my mind every day. Those feelings of being so lost like no one could ever save you. The times that I felt numb - numb and empty – like I was dead. The heartache, the pain, which never seemed to go away. The story of her own life, of the miseries and the hurt that she went through when she gave up her little daughter. Like how I imagined the daughter would be me and that her story would be my story. It all made sense now. How every word that she wrote down burned itself into my heart, how I felt her pain, her loneliness.

I was the daughter she never got to meet. I was the kid that she held in her arms and then gave away. I was the little girl with the brown doe eyes, which could look into someone's soul, and discover the deepest spots in someone's heart within seconds. I was Hazel, the girl she wrote about. Miranda Sommer's daughter.

I stood up from the chair, shaking my head in denial. "This… It can't be. I mean... She can't be my mom... this... How?"

Grayson stood up as well, slowly stepping forward in my direction. "Elena, Miranda Sommers is your mom."

"But…" I stammered.

He looked at me with his big hazel eyes, waiting for me to say something, but I couldn't even form a single word. Everything in my head was a big blur; too much information had made its way into my thoughts. It was suffocating. My breath quickened and my heartbeat fastened – I needed to get out of there.

"I… I gotta go," I mumbled. "I'm sorry."

I grabbed my things together, holding them tight against my upper body. I turned around and made my way over to the exit, my steps speeding up their pace with every second that passed.

I could hear him moving from his state of shock, coming up behind me, shouting. "Elena! Wait!"

I didn't turn around, I couldn't. I just ran, ran out of the door, out of the garage and away from him, away from my dad. That's what I always did – running away – you could say it was my was the thing that I always did when it simply got too much, when the world came crushing down on me, when I was scared.

So I just ran like nothing could stop me. I simply ignored all my surroundings as I became one with the wind. I continued running, not once looking back. Not once responding to the desperate and screamed words of Grayson, the guy that I didn't know anything about until a few hours before, my father.

...

After minutes of running, my heartbeat fastening and not feeling able to breathe anymore, I came to a halt outside a diner. I looked around. My eyes captured every image of my surroundings in my head – a road, cars, people, and the sun that slowly disappeared behind the trees. A little town, just like it was written in the book, peaceful, still, making someone feel like it was home. I sighed, my gaze wandered back to the little diner, 'Mystic Grill'.  
I shrugged to myself, shouldering my bag and making slow steps towards the bustling restaurant. I pushed the door open, stepping inside. I noticed how ten pair of eyes immediately shot to me, glaring at me, trying to make out who I was. But how could they find something out that I didn't even know myself? Who was I – a foster kid, an insecure girl, a troublemaker, a homeless one? I was so many things. Still, underneath all the tags that people gave me, I still hadn't figured out who I was myself. I shook my head, thankfully the eyes slowly let go of me and simply let me be.

While I slowly made my way over to the bar, I felt someone watching me. An intense glare, as if this person could see right through me. Honestly, the thought of someone seeing who I really was before I even did, it scared me.

I carefully lifted my head, turning my gaze in the direction of the heated gaze. My heart stopped in my chest as I found myself gazing into the most memorizing eyes I had ever seen. The ocean blue, the cobalt colour of his eyes, had dragged me under his spell. I stood there, motionless, simply staring at his perfect face while he stared back at me. The woman beside him who kept trying to talk to him had clearly been forgotten. I didn't dare to move, to ruin this one perfect moment. My gaze melted into his as everything around me seemed to fade away and all I could see was him, and in that moment I knew I'd never forget those eyes again…

A quiet, awkward cough made me snap out of my trance. I blinked in confusion; slowly I turned myself around to find the origin of the noise. I was immediately met with the azure eyes of a blond girl. She gave me an assuring smile and fiddled with her hair.

"Hey, I'm Caroline," she blurted. "You're new in town, aren't you? I've never seen you before, and I pretty much know everyone in Mystic Falls... I mean, it's a small town you know, everybody knows everyone –"

I let out a quiet laugh. "Woah. Do you ever take a minute to breathe, Caroline?"

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling again," she sighed. "My friends say I have the tendency to do that a lot. Sorry."

I shook my head in amusement, keeping my tight grip on my bag, and gave her a friendly smile. "I'm Elena."

"Elena," she smiled. "So what brings you to a little town like Mystic Falls?"

What brought me to Mystic Falls? What could I possibly tell her – that I was some screwed up foster kid who had found out that her father lived here and that I just wanted to see him, to meet him? And then when I finally could talk to him, that I just ran out of the building because…? Because what – because I was scared?

"I'm… visiting someone," I lied.

"Oh," she said cheerily. "Okay."

"Yeah...," I looked around myself awkwardly, noticing that the blue-eyed man from the bar had disappeared.

An unfamiliar feeling spread through my body, leaving a trace in my heart. That feeling, it was odd… it nearly felt like… like I was disappointed that he wasn't there anymore. I sighed - I shouldn't have felt like that. I didn't even know his name, let alone talked to him.

"Hey, do you wanna join me and my friends?" Caroline asked, pointing at the table in the corner. It was full, occupied by three boys and another dark-skinned girl.

I quickly looked at my phone, reading the time before lifting my head again. "I'd love to, but I should really go now. I'm sorry."

"Oh sure," she said with disappointment lining her girly voice.

I gave her a thankful smile. "It was nice to meet you, Caroline."

"Nice meeting you too, 'Lena," she said while smiling back at me. "I guess I'll see you around sometime?"

I nodded hesitantly. "Sure. See you!"

…

The moon shined down on me, lightening the dark shadowed sky, as I walked through the streets and back to the bus station. Reliving the past hours in my head, I thought about my previous life – the days I spent in crappy foster houses, how I was with different families every few months or the nights when I simply didn't want to be anywhere. I thought about my life and about the life I wanted to have one day. It could be different; it could be so much better than what I had. I wanted it to be better.

I sighed, fumbling my hand through my bag, searching for my cell phone. I grabbed it, a small smile appearing on my face as I read the text message I had received from Elijah.

_'Hey little one, how is it? Already impressed by your dad? Or is he as bad as the one in that horrible family we used to live in when you were ten? Come over when you're back at Frank and Ashley's or call me. Hope you're okay! Elijah.'_

That was the reason why he was the best friend that I could ever have wished for. His concern for me was endless. Sometimes it seemed like he was the only one who had ever actually cared about me, but I didn't care, not as long as I had him. Inn the roughest of times, he had been by my side. Neither my birthparents nor some substitute parents, but Elijah. He had been there, every single moment of my life.

_A slight breeze grazed through my hair while I silently sat on the swing in the little backyard of the house. I looked up to the sky, my eyes closed, breathing in the fresh air that came with the dawn. I lived for moments like that one - moments where I was just myself, not anybody else. Moments that nobody could ever take away from me, moments that only belonged to me. _

_I know, a ten-year-old little girl shouldn't think like that, like an adult, but in some ways I already was one. I had seen things in my life that no one should ever see. I lived in the worst of houses and in the best of ones. But I never really felt like I belonged there, just like I didn't belong with that family. The only thing different there was that something – someone – kept me there. I didn't want to leave him, not then, not ever. He gave me that feeling of being loved, and that's all I needed for the moment._

_The crunch of leaves made me lift my head, a big smile positioning itself almost immediately on my face as I saw him walking towards me._

_"Hey little one," he smiled, letting himself fall onto the grass._

_"Hi big one," I laughed down at him._

_Elijah shook his head in disapproval. "Stop calling me that! I'm a man, I don't like to be called stupid nicknames!"_

_"A man?" I giggled. "You're twelve; I wouldn't exactly call you a man."_

_He moved his hand to his chest, a played hurtful expression on his face. "I'm wounded. Don't you think I'm a big, strong and handsome man?"_

_"Oh, poor little boy," I mocked him._

_He let out a small laugh, looking up at me with his brown hazel eyes. "How is it that every time I talk to you, I feel like you're the older one rather than I am?"_

_I shrugged. "Well, intelligence overtrumps age."_

_"Elena! Are you saying that I'm stupid?" He exclaimed._

_"Yep," I said, popping the 'p' like I always did. "That's what I'm saying."_

_"That means revenge."_

_Elijah got up from the grass, cleaning his pants free of the dirt before he conquered the last centimeters between us. My eyes widened as I realized what he was about to do._

_"Eli," I said in a warning voice, trying my best to get as far away from him as possible. "You wouldn't dare…"_

_He laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't yeah?"_

_Ignoring the swing, I walked backwards, always keeping an eye on his hands._

_"Elijah Smith! I warn you!"_

_"You do?"_

_He didn't give me time to reply before he attacked me, making me fall onto the ground as I burst out with laughter. I screeched, squealed, laughed. My eyes filling with tears of joy as he continued tickling me like a fool._

_Yes, those were the moments that I lived for. The moments where I was just felt myself, not anybody else. Those moments that nobody could ever take away from me, moments that only belonged to me._

I quickly texted him back, telling him that I was okay and that I'd explain everything to him as soon as I was back in Richmond. Placing my phone back into the bag, I lifted my head just in time to see that the bus I was supposed to catch was driving away and leaving me behind.

I groaned - God really had it in for me that night. I started running after the bus, straining every muscle in my leg while holding my bag close to my body.

"Stop! Please! Stop!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "I need to get on that bus!"

I ran, my breath quickening and my legs starting to hurt. It was the last bus that drove to Richmond, if I missed it, there was no way back. I would have to stay there. Stay In Mystic Falls…

I quickened my steps, determined to catch the bus, as I suddenly bumped into a hard chest,. I fell, together with my bag, onto the ground. I grumbled quietly to myself, my hand wandering to my head as his velvety voice spoke up.

"I'm sorry I didn't see you. I-" I looked up at the man above me, a nervous feeling spreading through my b0dy, my heartbeat fastening against my chest as I met the ocean blue eyes that had burned themselves into my memory.

"You okay?" he asked softly while holding a hand out to help me to get up.

"I'm… I'm fine," I stammered. "Thank you."

I straightened myself up, trying my best not to look into his eyes. Something about them was so special… so tempting. I could easily get lost in them, like a little sail boat in the depths of the ocean…

"Don't mention it," he said before sudden recognition seemed to hit him. His lips sealed in a small grin. "Hey! Did we not just see each other at the Grill?"

"Grill? Oh yeah," I blushed. "That was you."

"The one and only."

I arched my eyebrows at him, an amused expression covering my face. "Cocky much?"

"Very much," he grinned, stretching out his hand to me. "I'm Damon, by the way."

I smiled lightly at him, taking his hand in mine. "Elena."

* * *

_**So here we are set into motion**_  
_**We'll steal a car and crash in the ocean**_  
_**You and I, caught in a fading light**_  
_**On the longest night**_

_**It's enough, just to find love**_  
_**It's the only thing to be sure of**_  
_**So hard, to let go of**_  
_**A thousand times or more**_  
_**I was close to a fault line**_  
_**Heaven knows, you showed up in time **_  
_**Was it real?**_  
_**Now I feel, like I'm never coming down**_

* * *

**A/N: Here is Chapter 1. I hope you all like it, and that it didn't disappoint you. Some people told me it was a little bit like Life Unexpected and yes, the idea came to me while watching it but I promise I'll make it completely different. It's not going to be like the series. Not a bit. A huge thanks goes, oct again, to my awesome BETA and even better friend Mollie (EverythingBasedOnMe) for reading and correcting this for me. Seriously, she's awesome! She was my inspiration for the character Mollie, so admire her. Well, anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the first one. And THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! Seriously I was overwhelmed by all the reviews you left me! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! THANK YOU SO MUCH.  
**

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** Twitter: PureHeart151  
**

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**Reviews are love!**


	3. One Day

**I don't own anything, the characters belong to CW.**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: One Day**

* * *

_**Home again,**_

**_Home again,_**

**_One day I know I'll feel home again._**

**_Born again,_**

**_Born again,_**

**_One day I know I'll feel strong again._**

**_I've left my head many times I've been told._**

**_All this talk will make you old_**

**_So I close my eyes,_**

**_look behind,_**

**_Moving on._**

* * *

**DPOV**

My hand locked with hers, my eyes focused on her every move. Her brown, straightened hair hung elegantly over her shoulders. Her brown, doe orbs burned into mine, her smile lightened up her whole face.

I had noticed her earlier at the Grill, standing in the middle of the diner, having no idea what hit her when the blonde chatterbox started talking to her.

Normally I'd have just shrugged it off and turned back to the conversation I was having with that Andie chick, but something about her seemed… so different, almost vulnerable, as if something inside of her was screaming desperately to come to the surface. _Get it together Salvatore,_ I sighed inwardly, slapping myself.

"Elena…," I let her name roll off of my tongue, tasting out its sweet sound. "It means light."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Your name," I said. "It means light. It comes from the Greek, the Bright one."

"Oh, I didn't… I had no idea to be honest," she blushed slightly, her lips forming a small smile.

I shrugged, slowly letting go of her hand and immediately missing her touch. "Most people don't know it. I'm just ace at history, I guess."

"Ace at history, huh?"

I laughed. "What? Don't you think a guy like me could be good at something like history?"

"You just don't seem like the geek kind of guy to me," she shrugged.

"I shall take that as a compliment," I said, noticing how her gaze wandered through the empty streets. "So, Elena…"

She looked up to me, her brown doe eyes focusing on mine. Something about this girl intrigued me. She was different from all the other women I had met before, in a good way, not in the psycho killer lady kind of way. There was something pure about her, something innocent, like nothing in the world could harm her. Yet on the other hand, she seemed strong and confident.

I shook my head at myself – I had spoken to this girl for like two minutes, I didn't know her. I should have stopped trying to figure her out; it wouldn't have got me anywhere.

"What is a woman like you doing here, all alone in the dark night? I mean some stranger could easily come up and start talking you," I said in a mocking voice.

She shook her head in amusement. "And we don't want that now, do we?"

"See? You actually can agree with me on something – it's better for everyone, anyway."

"Oh," she laughed. "Is that so, yeah?"

I shrugged, a cocky smile plastered on my face. "I'm always right Elena, and everybody knows that."

"So, Damon," she let out a quiet chuckle. "Since you are _Mister Know It All_ now…what's the quickest way back to Richmond at this time of the night?"

"I'd say the bus, but since you just missed the last one…," I grinned at her.

"Aren't you a smart ass?" she scoffed playfully, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon let out a hard laugh. "Come on, Pouty. Don't be bitchy now, believe me, it doesn't suit you very well."

She shook her head at me, her mouth twitching upwards. "And you would know because?"

I shrugged. "Let's just say that I like it when you're smiling much more."

A slight blush crept onto her cheeks; a small giggle escaped her lips as she stared at me. She opened her mouth to say something but I immediately cut her off, holding my hand high. I could see her glaring at me, but to be honest, I didn't care in that very moment.

So I just rolled my eyes at her. "I'm not really into arguing with you today, Pouty. So do you need a ride to Richmond or not?"

Her eyes widened in shock at first, but it got quickly replaced by a playful but thankful glance towards me. She put her hands on her hips, a lovely grin curling her lips upwards.

"Are you offering me a ride, Damon?"

"No not at all. I'll just go and persuade the next pink unicorn I seeto bring you back to Richmond, Elena," I scoffed. "Of course I am. Wouldn't want to see such an innocent soul like yours getting hurt at this time of the night."

With that, I turned away from her, walking towards the direction of my old blue Camaro – my baby –knowing that she was staring after me, a questionable look marking her brown doe eyes. I grinned to myself. While continuing to walk away from her, I heard her taking a deep breath behind me.

After walking for a while, I turned back to her. Her gaze was facing the ground; her shoulders were sagging as she tiredly ruffled her hair with her right hand, the other one holding her bag tightly to her tall body.

I shouted, therefore forcing her to lift her head. "You coming or what?"

A genuine smile flittered across her face, her eyes lightening up as she slowly nodded her head. She threw her bag over her shoulder and quietly made her way over to me but instead of coming to a standstill, she walked past me, smacking my arm as she let out a light chuckle.

"Ass."

…

We drove in silence out of Mystic Falls, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Once in a while, my eyes wandered over to her tall figure, sitting in the dark with her hair falling slightly over her shoulder. Her brown eyes focused on the road, while I tried to figure out what was going through her head. She seemed so far away, just like she was here, but her thoughts and her heart seemed to be someplace else. Maybe even with someone else. No, I shook my head, forcing myself to concentrate on the road before me. I shouldn't have thought about things like that, it wasn't any of my concern – so why did I?

I leaned back in my seat and took a deep breath before I blurted out, taken back by my own words. "Tell me about you, Elena. What were you doing in Mystic Falls if you live in Richmond?"

Her head shot over to look at me, a startled glance marking her eyes. She blinked, realizing what I had just asked her as she slowly came back to reality.

Her voice sounded hoarse. "I.. I was just visiting someone I know."

"Doesn't seem very convincing if you ask me," I said.

She shot me a strange look. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you intending that I'm lying?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm just saying that you don't seem very pleased about your visit here."

"I don't know... I guess it didn't play out the way I wanted it to," she mumbled. "And I'm not really in the mood to discuss this with you, so could we just move on to another topic?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

Another eerie silence took over the car. Minutes passed before one of us spoke up again. This time it was her velvety voice that filled the inside of my car.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure," I nodded.

"What does a guy like you do in a small town like Mystic Falls?" she asked.

I laughed, turning my head towards her. "A guy like me?"

"You just don't seem like one of these small town guys to me, like one who wants to spend his entire life in a little town in North Carolina and settle down, have a big family… all that kind of stuff."

"Oh, I'm not. Believe me, I'm not." I laughed. "I haven't been in Mystic Fall for a very long time, but after all these years, I thought it might be my time to come back."

"Just like that?" she asked in a surprised voice.

I shrugged. "Just like that."

"But why?"

"You mean why come back?" She nodded. "I don't know, it's my home I guess."

She let out a tired sigh, like she wasn't pleased with my answer.

"What's with all the questions anyway?" I asked. "Are you just curious about my awesome self?"

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head in played disbelief. "Oh yeah, you know –I wanna get all knowingly about you so I can find the best way to please you…Yeah, that's it. Right…"

I grinned. "I wouldn't mind... It actually sounds very... tempting if you ask me!"

She hit me playfully on the shoulder, making me sharpen my breath in response. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"For being a perverted ass," she smiled innocently.

"Oh come on, that's actually my adorable side that we're talking about."

"I'm sure," she replied, crossing her arms above her chest and a small smile curling on her lips. "And this is my non-bitchy and complete nice side. You just can't recognize it at the moment."

"Well…," I grinned.

She let out a cheerful laugh. "Oh shut up, you."

I chuckled, shaking my head in amusement at her before focusing my gaze back onto the road. I saw her grinning from the corner of my eye before she, as well, turned her head to look towards the front and we both reminded silent once again… but this time it was a comfortable silence. Both of us were smiling to ourselves while I went through the events of that evening in my head. A lot had happened, she had happened.

All other women would've already bored or even annoyed me, but Elena, she was different. She challenged me, teased me, and she knew how to laugh. She didn't run after me like the rest of the female population did. It was nice, for once I was being seen as a person and not as a sex object... yeah, it was nice.

…

After another hour of driving, we arrived in Richmond. Some words were exchanged between the two of us, but for the most of it, we just sat in silence while the radio was happily playing in the background. Sometimes I looked over to her just to hear her humming along with the music while her gaze was fixed on the road before us. For once in my life, I didn't mind the silence. It was refreshing.

"It's right here," Elena's voice sounded in my ears as I slowly came to a halt before a little family house.

I let the engine cool down, gazing over to her. "So that's it, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she smiled. "Thanks for driving me all the way over to Richmond, Damon. Not a lot of people would've done that."

I waved it off with my hand. "Naah, don't mention it. And it helped that you're not the worst company in the world, you know. You can actually be quite fun if you aren't going all bitchy on me, Elena."

"I am fun," she stated.

"You can be," I smiled teasingly at her.

She scoffed dramatically. "And who says that you're such a fun bomb? I don't remember you being any fun in the last hour."

"I say so, babe."

"And just because you say so, it has to be the truth?"

I slowly leaned forward to her, my blue orbs melting into her brown doe ones, a small grin marking my lips. Her breath quickened, her heartbeat fastened, only a small space of air filling the distance between us.

"I'm always right, Elena." I whispered.

My gaze wandered down to her lips, my heart pumping faster against my chest. My eyes were filled with desire to conquer the last few millimetres between us and press my lips onto hers. My thoughts were blocked as I slowly lifted my head again, recognizing the same lust in her eyes. Noticing my hesitation, she nodded her head as if she was giving me permission.

Feeling the lust taking over me, I conquered the distance between us and pressed my lips softly onto hers. An estranged feeling shot through my body, making me shiver in response. I backed away from her, looking into her brown doe eyes, which desired my touch as much as I desired hers. Cupping her cheek in my hand, I kissed her again, this time more passionate and lustful.

I stroked her bottom lip with my tongue, deepening the kiss, begging her to let me in. Our tongues met in the middle, moving together as if they were one. I explored the insides of her mouth, hungrily, my fingers fumbled with her hair while my other hand wandered down to her upper body.

A moan escaped her, her body moving in unit with mine as I slowly pulled her over to me, positioning her on my lap. I removed my lips from hers, catching a breath before placing small, peppered kisses along her neck. She breathed heavily, small moans escaping her as she leaned her head back, obviously enjoying herself as I continued kissing her.

She grabbed my head in her hands and moved it back to her face before capturing her lips with mine again, meeting in a longing kiss, our tongues melting wildly together. Her arms moved around my neck, pulling me closer to her if that was even possible. I moaned into her mouth, thousands of feelings spreading through my body as she laid her hands against my muscled chest, playing with the buttons of my shirt.

Removing my lips from hers, I nibbled hungrily at her ear, her breathing blowing heavily against my face.

"Damon…"

I groaned, pulling my head back to catch a proper look at her face – her brown doe eyes were filled with passion, her lips were swollen, a reddened colour taking over her cheeks. I leaned my forehead against hers, letting out a hard breath.

"That was…," she whispered, still trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah, I agree," I grinned.

Elena let out a quiet chuckle, slowly stroking with her hand over my chest. Out of nowhere, she shut her eyes tight, a painful grumble escaping her lips.

I shot her a worried look, cupping her cheek. "Elena? Hey, Elena! You okay?"

Her hand shot to her head, pressing her lips into a thin line. I could see her fighting with herself before she found her voice back. "I'm… I'm fine, don't worry."

"If you're sure…"

"I am sure, Damon." She gave me a reassuring smile. "I... I should probably go now."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, probably…"

Elena removed her other hand from my chest, climbing back into her seat, my hands immediately missing the feeling of her body on mine. I heard her taking a deep breath as I tried to reason all my thoughts together. Trying to put some sense into all of this.

"Thank you for the ride, Damon," she broke the silence, therefore forcing me to look at her.

"Any time, babe." I winked at her.

She laughed, rolling her eyes at me. "Goodnight Damon."

I watched her as she opened the car door, shooting me a last loving smile before she stood up from the seat, leaving me behind. A grin curled up on my lips as I watched her walking towards the front door, a weird feeling of loss spread through my body in that very moment.

"Elena!" I shouted.

She whirled around, giving me a confused look and waiting for me to continue. "Will I see you around some time?"

Elena shrugged, a slight smile on her lips. "I don't know… One day, you may get lucky and spot me in the crowd again... who knows."

"Yeah, who knows…," I mumbled. "Goodnight Elena. Take care."

"You too, Damon."

With that, she opened the front door to her house and went inside. I stared at the spot where she had been standing just a few seconds before and grinned quietly to myself. This girl was something different, somehow special. I told myself that I'd be damned if I wouldn't see her again… but something inside of me old me I'd see her again. Someday, somehow, we'd meet again. Maybe even in the strangest of situations. Yeah, who knew…

I started the engine and drove back to Mystic Falls, my thoughts wandering back and forth between the events of the past night and wondering about the brunette mystery girl.

* * *

**EPOV**

I leaned against the backside of the front door and let out a breathless sigh. I closed my eyes, seeing the moments of this eventful day before my inner eye. It had taken a whole 180 turn the second I had met Damon at the Grill, the second my eyes had met his. My body fell to the ground as I was lost in my thoughts, not noticing the stamping footsteps which were getting louder with every second.

"Elena," his angry voice brought me back to reality. "Where the hell were you all day?"

I blinked, recognizing Frank's tall and muscular figure in front of me, a disgusted shudder immediately drilled through my whole body.

"Out," I mumbled, pushing myself past him just to get away from his as fast as possible.

He grabbed my arm, hard, and pulled me back. My face was only a mere few inches away from his. "You don't get to talk to me like that. I will repeat myself one more time –where were you?"

"I told you, I was out." I gritted my teeth, trying to free myself out of his grip.

He let out a hard laugh and tightened his grip around my arm as his lips moved closer to my face. I could feel his breath on my ear as he whispered, "Elena, don't play dumb with me. I knew you were out. I asked you where… and with whom."

I shut my eyes, ignoring the crept up feeling that came with his voice, as I replied in a steady tone. "I… I was with Elijah. We spent the night watching films and eating popcorn... Does that answer your question, Frank?"

He slowly let go of me, a relieved feeling spreading through my veins. I rubbed my arm, trying to lessen the hurt he had caused. He looked at me, a strict, even scary expression on his face.

"You better be telling the truth or you'll be back in that orphanage faster than you can count to three."

I rolled my eyes. "Are we done here?"

Frank scoffed, backing away from me and giving me space to breathe freely again. He shot me a last disapproving look before he turned around and disappeared into the kitchen. I let out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall behind me. My thoughts were no longer filled with excitement and passion, but instead with disgust and hate towards that man. Foster families, families, what was that even supposed to mean? They weren't my family, he wasn't my family.

Tears threatened to roll down my cheeks, a quiet sob shaking through my body. I took a deep breath and collected all the strength I could bring up together, straightened up, holding my head high.

I swore to myself a long time ago, that nobody would ever bring me down again, not like he had done once. Nobody would ever hurt me again like he did. I'd stick up for myself and fight till the bitter end, just like I did now. I forced a smile on my face, grabbed my bag and climbed up the stairs. One song lyric repeating itself in my head – _What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger._

* * *

_**Lost again,**_

_**Lost again,**_

_**One day I know our paths will cross again.**_

_**Smile again**_

_**Smile again**_

_**One Day I hope, I'll make you smile again**_

_**I won't hide.**_

* * *

**A/N: Firstly I want to thank you all for the huge response you have shown for this fic. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT! THANK YOU SO MUCH! So what did you think of this chapter? And the smut? Please, don't be too hard on me, first smut I've ever written. I really hope you like it. A huge thanks goes once again to my BETA Mollie (EverythingBasedOnMe) - I wouldn't do it without her. She's awesome! AND READ HER STORIES - YOU WON'T REGRET IT! BEST STORIES EVER! And I also want to thank Daniel for showing so much love for this story, his words really motivate me to write more. And I want to thank you all for the amount of review you left me. I love you, guys.**

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**Twitter: PureHeart151  
**

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**Reviews are love!**


	4. Better Days

**I don't own anything, the characters belong to CW.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: Better Days**

* * *

**And you ask me what I want this year  
And I try to make this kind and clear  
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days  
Cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings  
And designer love and empty things  
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days**

**So take these words**  
**And sing out loud**  
**Cause everyone is forgiven now**  
**Cause tonight's the night the world begins again**

* * *

**EPOV**

"I brought you coffee and breakfast. Are you hungry?" I smiled while pushing myself past him.

"Elena?" Elijah asked, rubbing his eyes with his fists as he leaned against the doorframe of his apartment, looking straight at me. "How- how late is it?"

"7 AM," I said as I placed the bag of bread rolls and the coffee on the table.

"7AM?" he stammered, closing the door and making his way over to me. "And what the hell are you doing here at 7 in the morning, if you don't mind me asking?"

I shrugged, running through his kitchen. "I just... You texted me yesterday telling me I should come over... so here I am."

"Yeah, I know what I said, but," he mumbled, "…But I thought more about... like, I don't know, 11am?"

"7am, 11am – what does it matter?" I asked all the while avoiding his gaze.

For a few seconds, he didn't say anything. Hesitantly, I looked at him, noticing that he was now standing only millimetres behind me, eying me suspiciously. I quickly turned around again; I ignored the thoughts that entered my mind and concentrated on the plates before me.

"Elena?"

Elijah gripped my hands in his and turned me around to him, forcing me to look into his eyes. I tried to avoid his gaze as best as possible, no success. He took my chin in his other hand and shot me a worried smile.

"Elena? What happened?" He asked.

"Nothing, okay?" I rolled my eyes. "I just thought I should tell you how it went with my birthfather yesterday, nothing more."

His grip loosened but his gaze never left mine. "Don't lie to me. I know you, Elena, better than anyone."

I sighed. He was right, of course he was. He knew me better than anyone one else ever did, maybe even too well. I didn't only come over because I wanted to tell him about the day before, I just needed to get out of that house. To get away from Frank. To get away from everything and everyone. Just for a day, just for a few hours to forget about the hell that I called my life.

Elijah was the only one I could trust with things like this. I knew he'd understand me. He'd support me in every decision I decided to make even if he didn't like it. He'd call me out on my shit but he'd never, not even once, question my decisions or me. And the best part was that he'd never, not ever, judge me.

I looked to the ground. "Can't we just have breakfast and let it be for now? Elijah, please?"

He nodded. "Sure, let's have breakfast."

I smiled gratefully at him and squeezed his hand lightly before turning back around, taking the dishes and placing them on the kitchen table. Both, Elijah and I, sat down on a chair and started eating in a comfortable silence.

My thoughts wandered around - one minute they were with my dad and everything he had told me about him, about me, and about my mom. Then they wandered off to Frank and my foster family, to all the foster families with whom I lived with in the last 17 years of my life, with the things that had happened within all those years. To Elijah, the only constant I ever had in my life, the only person I ever trusted.

And then, without me even realizing it, they ended up on a certain blue-eyed stranger. The dark-haired man who had somehow aroused magical feelings in me, feelings that I didn't even know existed. New un-experienced feelings. Good feelings. The few hours I had spent with him had made me feel alive, probably more alive than I had ever felt in my entire life. And I couldn't help but hope that someday I'd see him again and he would make me feel alive one more time. Yeah…

"'Lena?" Elijah's voice threw me back into reality.

"Huh, what?"

"What were you thinking about? You're sure you don't want to talk... at all?" Elijah asked hesitantly.

I shook my head at him and focused my gaze on my sweaty hands. "I'm.. I'm not sure about anything these days, Eli. This whole birthparents thing… I don't really know what to think of it. You know, all these years, I wished for nothing more but to know that they were out there, maybe even waiting for me… but now that I know the truth, I just… I don't know if I can handle it, Elijah."

He smiled reassuringly, taking my right hand in his and squeezing it lightly. "I understand that, 'Lena. It's new, it's different. But don't let your fear of something new come between your chance of having a better life, maybe even a real family."

I stayed silent, small tears threatening to fall down my cheeks. I thought about the words that had just left his mouth, capturing every single one of them in my heart. He always knew how to encourage me, to summarize my fears and worries in words and tell me that I shouldn't let it bring me down.

Seconds passed before I threw my arms around him, burying my head in the crook of his neck. His strong arms embraced my upper body, holding me close as silent tears streamed down my face.

"Everything is going to be okay, little one," he whispered while kissing my temple. "One day, everything will be just like you imagine... I know it."

I nodded lightly against his shoulder, letting his words sink in as I mumbled. "You promise?"

"I promise."

…

For the rest of the morning, we lay on the couch, talking and laughing. Sometimes we just sat in silence and enjoyed the time we had together. We talked about old times, memories, and about the things that were happening in our lives in that very moment, things that may even happen in the future, and of the unknown. That was life with Elijah. It was simple, and sometimes, it was all I needed. All I'd ever need.

We'd always know that the other person was there for us – it's not that we never had a fight before, but when it came down to the point that one of us needed the other, we were there for each other. No questions asked.

The day that we first met was engraved in my head like it had just been yesterday. I thought a lot about that one special memory these past days – an eight year old Elijah taking my six year old self into his arms and telling me that one day, someone would come for me and make my life better, someone who'd love me. And till this day, he had kept his promise. He came for me that day, when nobody else cared about my desperate cries. He had made my life better and he loved me. He still did.

And as I walked home that night, I thought about the promise he had made that morning in his apartment and something inside of me told me that, just like the first time, he'd keep his promise. One day, everything would play out the way I wanted it to; my life would be like I always imagined it to be… I'd just have to wait a little bit more.

* * *

A week, in which I had tried to avoid Frank the best I could, had passed since that morning in Elijah's apartment. I quickly returned back to the routine of my daily life after the events of that night. I went to school every morning, spent my afternoons with Eli and I passed most of my evenings at the house, sitting in my bedroom while waiting for the night to come so I could go to sleep. Almost as if that one magic night never existed… but I knew it had. And I knew I'd never forget it. His ice-blue eyes still haunted me in my dreams, the taste of his soft lips and the touch of his hands plaguing my mind every single day.

And if my thoughts weren't with the blue-eyed stranger, they wandered over to my birth dad. His words repeated themselves in my head over and over again. _Everything we ever wanted for you was to have a better life than you could've had with us. _A better life? Was this what they called a better life? Being pushed around between foster families, being in a new 'home' every six months and the feeling that you could never be enough for anybody? That nobody had ever wanted you? Yeah, right…

I shook my head, pushing every thought of that day as far away as possible as I watched Amelia run to the back garden of the house. Her childish and joyful laughter echoed through the gardens, her blonde hair waved through the fresh air of Sunday afternoon, her blue eyes shining with happiness. It seemed as if no one could ever harm her, as if this moment of freedom would always be hers.

Amelia had been through a lot in the younger years of her life, but she still found pleasure in the simplest of things, like running through the garden and discovering new things every day. In moments like that, she was just a six year old girl… no problems, no concerns. Sometimes, I really envied that little girl for the joy she had in life.

"'Lena?"

I looked over to her small figure. She had positioned herself in front of the little swing, smiling. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Will you push me?"

"Of course," I stood up from the chair I was sitting on and moved over to her. "Come on, let's get you up on that swing."

Amelia giggled lightly as I swung my arms around her tiny body, lifted her up and sat her down on the blue swing in the middle of the garden. I placed her hands on the ropes that held the swing and took a step back, smiling at her.

"Put your hands there, okay, sweetie?" She nodded. "Good girl."

I ruffled up her hair with my hand, making her chuckle in response, before I came to a halt behind her and started to push her lightly.

Her laughter filled the air. "Higher, 'Lena, higher!"

Pushing her higher, I shook my head in amusement. I had only known Amelia for 6 months exactly now, but I had loved her from the second I met her… I mean who couldn't love this adorable little girl?

My body stiffened as his voice suddenly rang through the garden. "Elena!"

I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath, telling myself that everything was okay. Frank didn't scare me, he never did. I carefully stopped the swing with Amelia on it. Lifting her up in my arms, I shot her an apologetic smile. She smiled back at me, snuggling her head against my chest.

His voice rang out again. "Elena! Come in, now!"

I sighed and then turned around to face him. With his hands on his hips, he was staring at me with his dark eyes and a slightly angry expression on his face as he waited for me to climb up the stairs to the house.

"I'm coming," I mumbled, more to myself than to him.

I started walking towards him and came to a halt at the door, ignoring his intense glare, I put Amelia down and smiled at her.

"Hey sweetie, how about you go to your room and I'll come to you in a few minutes?"

"But you will come?" she asked in a sweet voice. "Right, 'Lena?"

"Of course, I will," I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Now go, okay?"

She nodded silently, giving me a small smile before she turned and walked, with small steps, into the house, leaving me alone with Frank. I took a deep breath, gathering up all my courage. I turned around to face Frank, only to be met with his strict face.

I gulped. "You wanted to talk to me."

Frank crossed his arms before his chest, his intense gaze never leaving mine. "Your social worker Dolly, Polly or whatever her name is, is here. She wants to talk to you – care to explain?"

"Her name is Mollie," I murmured.

"I don't care what this 'holier than thou' social worker of yours is called," he snorted. "I wanna know what the hell she's doing here, in my house?"

I rolled my eyes. "How am I supposed to know? Can I read minds now or something? Because if so, I must have truly missed that."

"This is not the time to joke, little Miss_ 'I Have a Perfect Answer to Everything'_," he spat, grabbing my arm. "What did you do again?"

"I didn't do anything, okay?" I whispered harshly, not wanting someone else to hear us.

"And why is she here then?"

"I don't have any idea, Frank, I swear."

He huffed. "Of course you don't."

I shut my eyes tight before tearing myself away from him and shooting him a last disgusted glance as I entered the house. Standing in the hallway, I could hear loud voices coming from the living room, one of them clearly belonged to Mollie. I took a deep breath, pushing all my thoughts out of my mind, and entered the room. Ashley and Mollie were sitting on the couch, both enjoying a cup of coffee and cookies.

"Elena," Mollie smiled as she got up from the couch to greet me with a hug." How have you been?"

"I've been… pretty fine. What about you, Mollie?"

She let out a small chuckle. "Oh well, you know me… always busy, but I'm good. Thanks."

I nodded, smiling slightly at her. My gaze wandered back and forth between her and Ashley, who eyed me awkwardly, as I waited for one of them to speak up.

Ashley motioned over to the couch as Frank entered the room again. "How about we all sit down now and then we can discuss why you're here, Ms. Parker?"

Mollie nodded. "Sure."

…

After we all had settled down on one of the couches in the living room, silence immediately filled the air between us. I looked at Mollie, a strange but also curious feeling spreading through my chest. To be honest, I had no idea what she wanted from me – had something happened? Or had people from foster care found out about my visit to my birth father's house?

"So Ms. Parker," Frank began in a fake polite voice. "To what do we owe the honour of your visit?"

Mollie laughed awkwardly, clearly having noticed the sarcasm in his voice. "Well, there have come up new… issues, circumstances, in Elena's case."

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. "New circumstances?"

I gulped – what was that supposed to mean? New circumstances? Did they actually find out? Did my dad run to them and asked why his child, whom he gave away seventeen years ago, had found him when he didn't want her to? Was I in trouble now? Did they decide that I no longer deserved to live in this family and wanted to send me right back into the orphanage? So many questions, so many answers that could possibly be true. And I didn't know any of them.

Mollie fumbled for something in her purse before taking out a big folder, a folder that I had seen so many times before in my seventeen years. I even had an exact copy which was lying in my room, under my bed. My heartbeat fastened. My breathing stopped, nerves flowing through my veins.

"Well, according to Elena's papers… you both, as her foster parents, have the right to decide about everything that is happening in her life until the day that either you or Elena herself want to change this agreement or if I, as her social worker, decide that she isn't treated well here…," Mollie paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "None of this is the case here, as I see, but something new came up. Something that might change this whole agreement."

"What… we don't understand," Ashley interjected.

"Yesterday, Grayson Gilbert, Elena's biological father, contacted the orphanage. One which Elena was living before she came to your family," she locked eyes with mine. "He asked where she was living now and if it was possible for him to take her home with him, for her to live with him, to take care of her like he was supposed to for the last seventeen years of his life."

My heart stopped in my chest. My mind went completely blank, thousands of thoughts whirling around, none of them really making sense. He couldn't… why would he do that? Just because I talked to him once, yelled at him for leaving me? Did he think that this was the way to make up for all these lost years? Why, why now? I didn't want to live with him. Yeah, I may have wanted to get to know him, to know the reasons for why he and Miranda gave me away, but… I never wanted this.

My life here wasn't perfect, it wasn't enjoyable at all, to be honest. But at least I knew what to expect – to expect nothing. At least by expecting nothing, I couldn't get disappointed. But this was something entirely different, something I never had to think about before. Living with my dad…maybe even having a real family.

"I know this comes as a real surprise to all of you, but right now all that counts is what's best for Elena and what she wants," Mollie said, breaking the awkward silence in the room. "Elena, what do you think?"

I looked at her, tears forming in my eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing ever left it. How could I explain my feelings to her if I didn't even understand them myself? Everything was just so confusing. On the one side, I was angry – angry that just after I contacted him, he wanted to see me yet he didn't before. Not the time when I needed a real dad in my life. The weeks that I spent crying and hurting. The moments in which I felt completely numb, all emotions drained out of my body. He hadn't been there, not a single time.

On the other side, I was thrilled. Now after seventeen years of wishing, dreaming and imagining having my own family, someone actually wanted me. My dad wanted me. Silent tears ran down my cheeks, my eyes staring into a big nothing. My heart bumped loudly against my chest, a sudden headache taking over me.

My hand flew immediately to my head, holding it and trying desperately to ease the pain. The sound of Mollie's voice calling out my name over and over again entered my ears, with every second that passed, her voice faded and faded. The pain slowly took control of me. Tired of fighting against the instant and unbearable hurt, I closed my eyes… welcoming the darkness that came over me in that very moment.

* * *

When I woke up again, I could hear familiar voices in the distance, hushed voices talking about me, about what had happened only a few minutes or even hours ago. Honestly, I had no idea what time it was or for how long I had been unconscious. All I knew was that the pain in my head had disappeared, like it never had been there in the first place. Just like it always did. It hurt for seconds, minutes, and then it was gone in a flash, leaving me behind, unknowing about what had just happened minutes before.

My eyes fluttered open as the voices became louder. I found myself recognizing one of them as Mollie's while the other ones probably, I figured, belonged to Ashley and Frank.

I groaned, trying to open my eyes to the outside world. The voices were now clear and loud, only a few inches away from me. I shut my eyes tight, rubbing them with my fists while a small noise escaped me, turning all their attention back on me.

Mollie crouched down beside me, true concern resonating in her voice. "Elena, you're awake! How are you? You're... you're okay?"

I tried to get up and leaned on to my elbows to steady myself. My gaze wandered over the few people in the room, including: Mollie, Ashley, Jensen – another teenager who had been put into the care of Frank and Ashley, and Amelia who was hiding behind him, snuggling her head into his back. I forced myself to smile lightly at her before turning my look back to Mollie.

"I'm okay," I said in a hoarse voice. "What happened? I mean… the one minute I was-was listening to what you said and then... nothing. I can't remember… "

"You fainted, dear," she smiled reassuringly. "But the most important thing right now is that you're okay. You're sure that you're doing better? You want me to get something for you?"

I slowly got up, putting my feet onto the ground, supporting myself with my hands on the couch. The second my eyes locked with Amelia's, she came out behind Jensen's back and ran towards me, her arms curling around my neck while she hugged me tightly. I smiled down at her, pulling her onto my lap as I held her.

My gaze wandered back and forth between Mollie and the little girl in my arms. "I'm okay, really. You don't need to worry."

She had just opened her mouth to reply with something, clearly not believing me, as Amelia looked up at me, her deep blue eyes filled with tears. "You no hurt anymore now, 'Lena?"

I shook my head lightly, kissing her temple. "I'm okay, sweetie. Everything is okay."

"Will you plway with me now?" she asked innocently.

"Sure, but," I looked over at Jensen who nodded at me, slowly making his way over to us. "But later okay? I have to talk to Mollie about something for a few minutes. How about you go upstairs and play with Jensen. I will follow you both in a few minutes, sweetie. Could you do that for me?"

"Okay," she nodded. "But you really come this time?"

"I promise, Amelia."

She jumped off of my lap to stand beside Jensen and took his hand in her tiny one, holding it close to her. He smiled down at her, giving her hand a light squeeze before his eyes shot back to mine.

"You're sure you'll be fine alone here?" he mouthed.

I nodded, whispering. "I'll be okay, Jensen."

"If you want, I could stay here and-," he tried to say, but I immediately cut him off.

"Go and play with her, she adores you," I gave him a reassuring smile. "Go!"

He nodded silently before he disappeared with Amelia through the door of the living room, leaving me alone with the three adults in the room. I sighed, turning my gaze back to Mollie who had settled down on a chair by now.

"Elena…"

"Don't, okay?" I said. "I'm fine Mollie, everything is just fine."

Mollie shot me a worried look before she turned to Ashley and Frank. "Would it be okay if you left Elena and me alone for a minute? I have to talk to her about some stuff."

Ashley looked over at Frank and gave him a warning look as she spoke. "Sure, we will be in the kitchen if you need anything. And Elena? Don't overexert yourself."

I nodded hesitantly; well knowing that all this sudden care, the nice and polite words that had left her mouth since Mollie had arrived this afternoon weren't real. Whenever someone else was in the room, they were nice and caring, pretending to love me but as soon as they were alone with me again, they didn't give a crap about me. I was nothing but another source of money for them.

…

After they had left the room, Mollie turned her attention back to me. "Elena, I hate to ask you this now but… what happened a week ago in Mystic Falls?"

I opened my mouth to say something, to lie to her about my visit at Grayson Gilbert's garage, but she immediately cut me off. "And don't you lie to me, young lady. I know that you were there, he told me when he called to ask about your wellbeing."

My shoulders slumped down as I buried my head into my hands. Of course he had to tell her about it and of course she would know that I was about to lie to her, in the past 5 years as my social worker, she had picked up on some of my habits. One of them was the stupid quirk I did with my hands when I was lying –she discovered it every single time, pretty much to my aggravation.

I sighed. "Nothing happened. We just talked, and…"

"And?" she probed. "What happened then, Elena?"

I shut my eyes tight, remembering the events of that day back into my mind. "I don't know. It just got too much, I guess, so I ran out on him. I-I didn't want to hear any of it anymore… I couldn't take it."

Mollie took my hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. "Whatever you said to him, Elena, it changed something in him. He wants you to live with him… in Mystic Falls."

"But-but what if I'm not ready-y for it? What if I'm-I'm not what he expects me to-to be?" I stammered.

"Elena, just be the person you always are. Be yourself, and he'll-," Mollie's little speech got interrupted by the doorbell.

I shot her an apologetic glance, freeing my hand out of hers. "I have to take this, it's probably just the mailman. I'm sure it won't take long."

"Sure," she nodded. "You can't let the mailman wait now."

"Of course not, he's from real importance," I laughed.

She shook her head in amusement. "You go, I'll wait. We can continue this conversation in a few."

I flashed a lasting smile at her before I got up and made my way over to the door. I opened it, expecting everything – everyone - but the person that was facing me now, an insecure smile on his lips. My mouth fell open in shock, thousands of thoughts whirling around in my head.

"Elena," he nearly whispered my name.

So many questions were forming themselves in my mind, so many words wanting to get out but I just stood there, paralyzed, and stared at the man before me. I couldn't believe he was here… The one minute I was talking about him with Mollie and the other he was standing on my doorstep in Richmond, saying my name. How did he get my address anyway?

I gulped, tears forming in my eyes as I held on to the door for dear life. My breathing became irregular, my heartbeat stopped for a minute in my chest. The man before me – my dad – looked at me with these brown doe eyes, so similar to mine, which were filled with hope as he waited for me to say something. Anything.

"Grayson," I choked out. "What-What are you doing here?"

* * *

**I need someplace simple where we could live**  
**And something only you can give**  
**And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive**  
**And the one poor child who saved this world**  
**And there's 10 million more who probably could**  
**If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them**

**So take these words**  
**And sing out loud**  
**Cause everyone is forgiven now**  
**Cause tonight's the night the world begins again**

**I wish everyone was loved tonight**  
**And somehow stop this endless fight**  
**Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days  
**

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_**A/N: Here it is, Chapter 3 - what do you guys think? This was more of a filler chapter that needed to be written for the next things that are going to happen, though I loved writing the Elijah/Elena parts. Their friendship is just great and easily to write. And who of you guys thought that Damon was on the door instead of her dad? I know my BETA did.**_

_**So, first of all, I want to thank you all for reviewing, favoring and alerting this story, you can't even imagine how much this means to me. I always jump round my room when I get a new one. SO THANK YOU! And like always, a huge thanks goes to Molly - yes, I recently found out that her name is written with 'y' instead of 'ie', confusing girl she is - (EveryBasedOnLove on FF). Without her I would be totally lost with all the mistakes I write. So thanks Molly! :)**_

_**I hope you liked the new chapter, I really do. I don't know exactly when I'm going to upload the next chapter since my tests are starting this week and I have like 12 of them and only 4 more weeks of school to come.. It's gonna be pretty hectic and I probably won't find that much time to write. Hope you'll stick with the story though. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it.**_

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**_Twitter: PureHeart151_  
**

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**Reviews are love!**


	5. New Beginnings

**I don't own anything, the characters belong to CW.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4:**** New Beginnings**

* * *

**Wishing on a shooting star **  
**But dreams alone won't get you far **  
**Can't deny your feelings anymore **  
**The world is waiting right outside your door **  
**What are you waiting for?**

**Come on here's your chance **  
**Don't let it slip right through your hands **  
**Are you ready? **  
**For the ride of your life **  
**Your dreams are riding on the wind **  
**Just reach out and pull them in **  
**Get ready **  
**For the ride of your life **  
**The ride of your life.**

* * *

**EPOV**

_Two weeks later._

A sorrowful sigh escaped my mouth as I let myself fall onto the old bed that I no longer called mine. I had spent the past days packing my things together, removing every single piece of evidence that proved that I ever lived in this house with Ashley and Frank. Just like I had done so many times before, at so many different families and houses. And now I had to leave that place too. But this time, if I was lucky, I wouldn't have to leave the place I was going to. Not ever again.

A month ago, a week ago, I would have never imagined being able to say that I'd find a place I would never have to leave. But I didn't have to imagine anymore. I could say those words and actually see them coming true. And that all changed just because he simply showed up on my doorstep two weeks ago. My father, asking me to come and live with him. A new town, a new house, a new life, a new family and maybe, just maybe, finally a home.

_"Grayson," I choked out. "What-What are you doing here?"_

_A small smile curled up on his lips, his remorse filled eyes met mine. I held on to the door as if it was my life, my hands shaking and one thought after another racing through my mind. Was this really the moment? The moment where everything was destined to change for me, whether it was good or bad? _

_"I needed to see you again," he breathed out. "And we need to talk. I don't know if your social worker already informed you about-"_

_"You mean that you want me to move in with you?" I interrupted him. "Yeah, Mollie told me about it."_

_"And what do you think? Would you? Would you like to move in with me? Get to know each other better?" _

_I crossed my arms over my chest and let my gaze wander around the garden and the balcony of this house, only for it to end up, again, on the man standing before me. My father. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, so many answers that I wanted and not wanted to hear. So many mysteries in my life that needed to be cleared up. And right there, he seemed to be the only one who could give me an answer to them._

_I sighed. "I don't know what I want. I just know that… that I don't want to live here anymore, in this house, with these people-"_

_"Then come live with me," he blurted out. "I'll do everything you want me to do, Elena, but I just want to have you in my life. I want to get to you know you and be there for you when you need me. You're my daughter, Elena, and I'll do whatever it takes to prove to you how much you mean to me."_

_"I-I don't-" I stammered but got cut off by the harsh voice of Frank from behind me._

_"And who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" _

_Grayson's gaze wandered back and forth between me and Frank, confusion lying in his eyes while Frank's hard glare lay on me as he waited for me to answer his question. I gulped, not a word wanting to leave my mouth. My throat felt dry and hoarse, only a quiet rasping escaping my lips as I tried to speak. _

_Completely helpless, I looked around me, waiting for something – anything – to happen that would take me out of the situation. Then Mollie's voice sounded from behind me, out of the house. _

_"Mr. Gilbert," she said joyfully. "I'm glad you could make it."_

A loud banging on my bedroom door forced me back into reality again as the memories from that day vanished to the back of my mind. I groaned. I rose up from the bed and slowly made my way over to the door, yanking it open before the person on the other side could knock again. And of course, the person on the other side was no other than Frank. How ironic.

"What do you want?"

"Grayson Gilbert is here," he huffed. "Would you mind getting your sweet little ass down there so that bastard can leave my property, and take you with him?"

"Wow, thanks. I'm going to miss you too, Frank," I snorted.

He smirked. "Now don't get too full of yourself, sweetie."

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, no longer wanting to waste any time talking to this disgusting man. But Frank had other plans and grabbed my arm in a firm hold all before I could close the door again.

"Elena, I'm not gonna repeat myself. Get down there, now. Or I'll have to shove you down there by myself and believe me when I say that I'm not going to do it the gentle way."

"Since when do you ever do something in a gentle way?" I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I groaned, trying to free myself from his grip. "Now could you please let go of me? You're hurting me, Frank."

"Oh poor little Elena," he mocked. "Now get your ass down the stairs."

"I'm coming," I said through gritted teeth. "Now let go of me… please!"

He shot me one last disapproving look, before shoving me away from him, making me bump hard into the wall. I held my head, rubbing it gently as I watched him walk away. I shut my eyes tight, letting myself roll down against the wall. Thoughts and memories flooded through my mind, good and bad ones, and ones I never wanted to forget and then again, some I wish I could forget but I know I never would. A shudder spread over my skin, my breathing quickened.

This wasn't how life was supposed to be for a young girl at my age, so why was it? Why did I have to go through all of this? Why me and not someone other? There were 7 billion people in the world, 7 billion who lived on the same planet as I did, walked on the same ground and breathed in the same air – so why me, out of all of them, why me?

And as tried to regulate my breathing, a small voice, so innocent and pure, fought through to my soul, making me open my eyes again. I looked at her, all pain forgotten as her tearful eyes locked with mine.

"Amelia," I breathed out.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't stop her. She wanted to see before you leave," Jensen's voice came from behind her.

I looked up, giving him a light smile. "It's okay, I wouldn't have left without saying Goodbye to her anyway... to either of you guys."

"'Lena?" Amelia mumbled, a tear rolling down her cheek. "You not leaving me forever, are you?"

I closed my arms around her, pulling her onto my lap. "Of course not, honey. I'm just…I'm gonna be away for a while. Within that time, Jensen is gonna take good care of you, right, Jensen?"

"Right," he nodded, taking place beside Amelia and me on the floor.

"I'd never leave you forever, Amelia," I kissed her temple. "Okay? Never."

She nodded silently, nuzzling her head into my neck. "I luv you, 'Lena."

A huge smile crept up on my face at her words, a warm feeling spreading through my whole body as I kept the little girl close in my arms. I looked over to Jensen who gave me a reassuring smile and let my head drop onto his shoulder.

"I love you too, Amelia."

…

I stepped out of the door, my hands and legs shaking as I took a deep breath and gathered all the strength I had together. A heart wrenching feeling spread through my body as my brown doe eyes locked with his, the same painful look resting in his eyes that had marked Amelia's just minutes before. My best friend, my brother and my protector.

I gulped, my grip tightening around my bag. A small and sad smile curled on his lips as he started walking towards me. I slowly stepped down the stairs, his gaze never leaving mine. My vision blurred with every second that passed and every step I took closer to him, with every more memory that entered my mind.

Memories of long forgotten times, memories of the day he had come into my life and had taught me what it meant to have someone on your side that actually cared, memories of every single day of my life since then. How in all these years everything around me, the people and the locations, had changed but still he had remained the same. Same old Elijah – the one guy in my life that had never left my side, the one guy that I thought was the nearest to a family that I'd ever get. He was a brother, and the one guy that I never thought I would need so much.

A small tear escaped my eye, streaming down my cheek and falling onto the ground beneath me. Only a few millimetres separating us, Elijah lifted his hand to my cheek, slowly wiping the tears away as he shot me a reassuring smile.

"Don't cry, little one," he whispered.

I let out a quiet chuckle. "Don't you think I'm too old for you to still call me like that? I'm not that little anymore, you know."

His gaze softened. "For me you're always going to be that little six-year-old girl who dreamed of the world. And that's never gonna change, Elena."

I smiled lightly at him, my vision blurred with thick tears that threatened to roll down my cheeks. I let my mind process his words, these words that meant more to me than anybody could ever imagine.

"Did you know that I used to hate it as a little girl when you called me that? I honestly couldn't stand it."

"And you lied to me this whole time?" he put his hand on his heart, a playfully hurt expression on his face. "I'm shocked."

A huge grin curled up on my lips, changing to a hard and happy laugh as I looked at Elijah - who still had a complete serious expression on his face, which made me laugh even harder.

But then, my heart suddenly felt very heavy and strange when realization hit me. The realization that this exact moment, this laughter and these tears, were the last moment we'd have for a while. The last moment I'd see him and talk to him, at least for some time. And as I asked myself what life would be like without having Elijah on my side, day and night, every moment possible, my laughing slowly turned into hard sobs. Thick tears streamed down my face, hard sobs left my mouth, making my breathing unsteady. It felt like my life was taken away from me, like the only thing I could ever hold on to would be ripped out of my life. Just like that.

I felt strong arms closing around my body, pressing me against his firm chest as he whispered smooth words into my ear, trying to calm me down.

"Hey, don't cry, little one," he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Everything is gonna be alright."

"But what am I supposed to do, Eli? What if I don't like it in Mystic Falls? What if he doesn't like me or I don't like him? Then I don't have anyone anymore. Not even you."

"Don't ever think that, Elena, you understand me? Don't ever think that," he shot me a small smile. "You'll always have me. We may not live in the same town anymore and we may not see each other or talk to each other every day, but you'll always have me. You're my best friend, okay? I'd conquer the world for you just to see you happy. That's all I ever wanted and this… this is your chance of living a normal life. It's your chance, Elena; don't waste it because you're insecure. Don't think about what could've been, don't think at all. Just go out there and show everyone how extremely incredible you are. Okay? Promise me that, little one? Be happy."

I slowly nodded my head, quiet tears rolling down my cheeks. "You be happy too, okay?"

"Elena," he laughed. "It's not like we haven't been separated before, you know, and it's not like we haven't found our way back to each other every single time. We'll see each other… soon. You know that I can't live for long without having your know-it-all smirk around me."

"I do not have a know-it-all smirk," I gasped.

"Well, if you think so."

A slight smile crossing my face, I slapped him playfully on the shoulder. He just always knew what to say to make me feel better, even if just for a small amount of time. It was just that this time, it might just not have been enough to ease it. Saying Goodbye to a big a part of my life, saying goodbye to someone who had always taken care of me, no matter how far the distance, it was hard. Even more than hard, it was painful and heart wrenching.

"You promise to visit me once in a while in Mystic Falls?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course I will, little one."

"Promise it to me," I insisted. "Then I know you'll keep it. You always keep your promises."

Elijah chuckled lightly. "I promise I'll visit you. I promise, Elena!"

I smiled at him, an honest and happy smile. Then as I opened my mouth to say something and tell him how much I'd miss him, Grayson's voice sounded from behind me.

"Elena? You ready to go?"

I quickly turned around to him, tears still lingering in my eyes as I spoke in a quiet voice. "Sure. Just give me another minute and I'll be there."

He gave me a sympathetic nod, before taking the suitcase out of my hand and went to load it into his truck, together with the rest of the things that he had already planted in it. And as I watched him climb into his car, I knew that this was it. I had to say goodbye. Maybe not for forever, but at least for some time.

I turned back to Elijah, shrugging with tears in my eyes. "I guess that's it then, huh? This is Goodbye."

He lifted his hand to my cheek, carefully wiping the tears away. "Remember my words, little one. This Goodbye ain't forever. No matter what distance there will be between us and no matter what happens, you'll always be my little Elena. My best friend. And I'm always going to be there for you," he breathed out. "And one day, I know it, you're gonna live the life you deserve with the people you love. Your time may not be there yet, but it will eventually come when you least suspect it. Trust me."

Without saying another word, I swung my arms around his neck. I held onto him like I had done, unknowingly, my whole life. He had saved me so many times from other people as often as he rescued me from myself. He was my rock, the person I could always count on. It'd be hard to live without him, but thanks to him, I knew I'd survive. Somehow I always did.

I knew I had to let go eventually as I whispered the words, "I love you, you know that?" against his silky skin and slowly separated myself from him again. He nodded lightly at me, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

I shot him one last smile before I turned around and started walking towards Grayson's truck. I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes tight and blocking out my surroundings. This was the ending of one chapter in my life and at the same time, it was the beginning of another. New surroundings, new people, new experiences. It was complete new start.

Opening my eyes again, I noticed the little blond haired girl sitting at the window, looking at me with tears in her beautiful green eyes. I sighed, Amelia. If there was one thing that I could change about this move, it'd be leaving her behind. It was different with her then it was with Elijah.

I knew that Elijah could take care of himself, that he'd always stay true to himself and not do what other people expected him to, but Amelia, her story was a completely different one.

She was only a little, innocent six-year-old girl who didn't know anything about the world yet. Just like I was when I was at her age. She was pure and naïve. She saw the good side of everything and everyone. And one day, she'd get hurt. A part of me wished that I could stop that hurt from getting to her, but I knew I never could. Just like Elijah could never prevent mine.

I slowly lifted my hand and waved at her, causing her to give me a small smile as I mouthed, "Goodbye Amelia."

With that, I turned around and climbed quietly into the truck, shoving my jacket onto the backseat. I sat down next to him, avoiding Grayson's gaze as best as possible as a small tear slipped down my cheek.

"You okay, Elena?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Grayson nodded. "Good. Are you ready for Mystic Falls and your new life there?"

"As ready as I could ever be," I lied, forcing myself to smile.

He smiled back at me before turning his head to the road. He slowly started the engine and drove out of the street and into the direction of Mystic Falls. As we drove, I watched the house go by, the people in it only mere shadows to me until the houses slowly dissolved into trees, showing me that this town was now left behind me and Mystic Falls was nearer than ever.

And so was the beginning of yet another chapter in my life.

* * *

"And this is your room. I know it's nothing special or anything, but… we can decorate it and change some things here and-"

"Grayson," I interrupted him. "It's perfect. I love it."

I shot him a slight smile before letting my gaze wander around the little room that I now could call my own. I never really had my own bedroom, yeah, I'd had so many rooms with a bed, a nightstand and a small closet, but they always had seemed so cold. There were no colours and no personal items of my own. But this room, it was different from the others. It gave me the feeling that it actually belonged to me, and that I wasn't just a guest in this house, that I could come and go whenever I wanted to. It felt like it was mine too.

"You're sure? Okay then," he smiled. "I'll just let you make yourself at home. If you need anything, I'll be in the living room with Jonas and John. You gonna be okay alone here?"

I nodded. "Yeah, sure. Don't worry about me."

"Okay, well," he said, rubbing nervously the back of his head. "You know where to find me."

Once again, I nodded at him. With some hesitation in his steps, he slowly left the room, but not without sending me a last reassuring smile. I could tell that he was as nervous as I was about this whole situation. After all, it doesn't happen every day that your own daughter comes knocking on your door and three weeks later, she lives with you above your service station.

It came as much as a shock to me as it came to him. These past three weeks had changed everything for the both of us, father and daughter. Now we just had to try and live with the consequences of these changes, whether we wanted to or not.

I sighed, looking around the room. The walls were painted in a darkish red, a few paintings and posters were placed on them. I recognized one of the posters as one that always hang on my wall at the orphanage. It was the guy from my favourite TV show, Josh Bowman. I smiled, letting my hand wander over it. How did he get this? I always thought the people from foster care had destroyed it right after I left. Maybe Mollie had kept it for me, I thought to myself.

Letting my gaze wander deeper in to my new room, it landed on my bag that Grayson had planted on the bed earlier. Without wasting any time, I sat myself beside it and opened it, revealing a self-made photo frame.

I smiled at the memory of the photo that it contained. It had been a sunny afternoon, I was eight and Elijah was ten. One of the older orphans had taken us with her to the zoo. I could still remember every single detail about that day; it was the only time I ever went to a zoo and it was implanted in my memory like a microchip. I still can remember the monkeys climbing around the branches in the trees, the snow-white polar bears and the giraffes. And how excited both, Elijah and me, were when we finally got to see the big lion. The king of the animals.

Looking back at that day, I actually thought it was one of the best days in my whole childhood. I was away from everything, from the problems and from foster care. I could simply be a little girl. Free and cheerful, just like all the others, the normal people.

I quietly smiled to myself, placing the photo frame on my nightstand next to my alarm clock. Right where I could see it first thing in the morning and the last thing before I fell asleep in the evening. Every single day I could be reminded that days like that – days full of freedom – still existed in this world.

…

After I had packed out most of my things, moved in all my clothes and placed my personal things in the room, I looked around, a strange warmth filling my heart. This was it, my own room. I quite liked the thought of that – my own personal space where nobody could intrude. Nobody could make me feel bad behind these four walls.

I took a deep breath, deciding that it was time to go downstairs and maybe talk to the guys. It couldn't do any damage to try and talk to them, right?

Climbing down the stairs, I could already hear their voices from the living room. They seemed to be in a very intense conversation. All three of them looked exhausted and seemed pretty helpless. Grayson sat on the couch, his head in his hands. John sat on the opposite side to him while Jonas was running back and forth in the room.

Just as I wanted to make myself visible, I heard Grayson speak up, leaving me speechless. Were they talking about me?

"I know that she's a troubled girl, John, but who wouldn't be in her place? She has been through so much in her young life and I… it's my entire fault."

"Gray, it's not your fault," that was John. "Not yours alone... at least. But you're here for her now, isn't that what matters?"

They were definitely talking about me, what the hell was going on? I backed up behind the wall, secretly listening to their conversation.

"But what is if that's not enough? What if she never accepts me in her life?"

"Grayson," John sighed.

"I'm just scared, guys. You have to understand; I haven't been there for her the past seventeen years. Why would she want me in her life now?"

"She's here, isn't she?" Jonas spoke up. "That makes you, as her father, automatically a part of her life."

"But... I can't give her anything, Jonas. What kind of life could I possibly give her? I live above my garage. I don't want that for her."

"So you prefer her living in an orphanage? Or with people that she doesn't know and that couldn't care less about her?" Jonas asked. "Because if that's what you want, you shouldn't have brought her here in the first place."

I sharpened my breath, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks as I lay silently against the wall. This couldn't be true… Were they really thinking about sending me back there? They couldn't do that, no, not now.

"No! No, of course not!" He exclaimed. "That's the last thing I want for her. I never wanted that for her."

"Then man up, take responsibilities and be the father that this wonderful, young girl deserves," Jonas said, a certain strength and determination lining his voice.

"Elena will come to you, sooner or later. You're her family, and she's yours. Ours even," John reassured him.

"You think so?"

"We know it," Jonas smiled.

A single tear rolled down my cheek. On the one side, I was happy because after all they didn't want to send me back to that horrible place, but on the other side, I saw this side of Grayson. The same side that I owned – he was scared. So scared that running away seemed, even just for a second, to be the best option for him. Running away and never looking back, isn't that what I always did? Maybe we were more similar than we both thought… But this time, running away was no option anymore. For either of us, I knew that.

"I should probably go check up on her. Maybe she's hungry or something," Grayson said, slowly getting up from the couch.

My eyes widened, he couldn't find me here. He would immediately know that I had overheard their conversation and that was the last thing I wanted. I quickly got up, trying to be as quiet as possible, I ran back up the stairs and back into my room. I literally jumped on my bed, covered myself up with my blanket and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

I heard him enter my room, my thoughts racing back to his conversation with the guys. Did he really mean it? Did he think I deserved better than all of this? _That's the last thing I want for her. I never wanted that for her._ I sighed, why couldn't life be easy for once?

He stood beside my bed, looking at me and simply not saying anything. And for the first time in years, I was not scared of a man being in my room at night. It actually made me feel quite safe as he took my blanket and pulled it over my upper body, wanting to protect me from the cold.

"Goodnight, Elena," he whispered.

After I heard the door fall in the lock behind him, I opened my eyes again and simply stared for what seemed like minutes at the door. A light smile crept up on my face as just one single thought ran through my mind… So this is what it was like to have a father.

* * *

I looked one last time in the mirror, fixing my hair and taking a deep breath. The first day in a new school, new people surrounding me, and new people usually came with new commitments and most probably new problems. I bit on my lip nervously - as often found myself as the 'new kid' at new schools, the thought of it still made me nervous.

The fear of not fitting in, not being accepted or even the fear of learning to care for some of these people and then having to leave again, all plagued my mind. Out of all, that was the worst thing about being an orphan. Trying to not get too attached to people in a town. The never staying and always leaving. But maybe, just maybe, this time it would be different and for once in my life, I would stay longer than a year at a place. Maybe even forever… Who knew? At least I could dream.

I quickly grabbed my schoolbag and conquered the journey from my room to downstairs, following the hushed voices into the kitchen.

"Good morning, guys!" I said, entering the little kitchen.

"Morning," Jonas and John both mumbled in a still very sleepy voice.

I laughed. "I see you both don't like getting up early in the morning, and here I thought that you should be used to it by now."

"Oh shut up!" John groaned, letting his head fall on the table.

"Hey, you wanna have breakfast?" Grayson asked, holding two plates in his hands. "I made you some toast and eggs."

I looked up at him, a spark of hope lying in his eyes. I knew if I said no now that there was a possibility that I would destroy or lessen that little spark, but then again I knew that I wasn't ready to sit down with him and eat breakfast like a normal family. I wish I was, but I wasn't just yet. Not before I knew that this was something permanent, something that no one could ever take away from me again aside from myself. I needed to know if it was safe. The hope, which I had gained through the things that I had overheard the day before between Grayson, John and Jonas, just wasn't enough. Because I learned early in life that if you get your hopes up and it doesn't happen the way you expected it to, you only get more hurt. And I really wanted to spare myself any more of this hurt in the next time.

"Actually," I began. "I wanted to get early to school because it's my first day and all… Would you be mad if I-"

Grayson waved off. "Oh of course not. You go. It's only breakfast, Elena. We can do this another time, right guys?"

Jonas head shot in Grayson's direction. "What? Eh yeah sure."

I giggled at the sight at both John and Jonas, who were practically drooling over the kitchen table. Well, you could sleep in one way or the other.

I looked back to Grayson, smiling. "Thank you, Grayson. I'm really sorry though."

"It's okay. There are still so many mornings to come and I understand, it's your first day in a new school. It's normal to be nervous, but I'm sure it will go just fine."

"It's not like it's the first new school I'm going to, you know."

Grayson sighed, his eyes filled with sadness. "Elena…"

"I-I-I gotta go," I stammered, pointing to the door. "I'll see you later then."

"Elena!" he said, forcing me turn around to him again. "Remember that you have to go to the secretary and ask for your schedule."

I nodded. "Noted."

Without waiting for his response, I quickly rushed out of the door, breathing heavily and not wanting to get into any intimate conversation with him. I knew it wasn't fair to him, but it was the only way I would survive.

I sighed. First day in a new school. Here we go again, I thought to myself as I walked down the path from the garage to the Mystic Falls High School. Let the drama and the school terror begin.

…

"Good Morning," the elder woman greeted me. "How can I help you?"

"Erm, I'm new here and on the paper that I received from the school, it said that I should come here to pick-"

"Elena?" A squeaky voice interrupted me from behind.

I turned around, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I searched for the source of the squealing. Who on earth could possibly know me here in this school? It's not like I was regular in Mystic Falls until yesterday. That's when my eyes fell on the blonde girl from the Grill. Caroline Forbes.

I smiled. "Caroline?"

A huge grin curled up on her lips. "What are you doing here? I thought you were only visiting a friend."

Before I could react, her arms shot around me, pulling me in a friendly embrace. After realizing what was happening, I awkwardly closed my arms around her, not really knowing how to react in the right way. I never had a real girlfriend before, so this whole hugging and squealing thing was pretty new to me. It always just had been Elijah and me, no one else.

She slowly let go of me and smiled happily at me. How could a girl be that happy and cheerful all the time? I thought to myself. Her constant good mood really had surprised me, even a few weeks back when I met her at the Grill.

"Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want you here because honestly, this school needs more people like you. Not even kidding, I mean, there are some-"Caroline took her head into her hands, looking up at me through them. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

I let out a hard laugh. "Maybe, just a little bit."

"I'm sorry, I just seem to never be able to shut up once I start talking."

"Don't worry about it," I smiled. "It's nice and refreshing compared to the people I usually talk to."

Caroline's eyes lit up at my words, her lips curling up in a smile. I shook my head at her in amusement. I already liked this girl. To have somebody as welcoming and happy as a friend would probably do some good to my damaged 'Making-Friends' skills. She just opened her mouth to say something as the voice of the secretary interrupted her.

"Miss?" She asked, forcing me to turn around again.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I-What I wanted to ask you was that I was told to come here to pick up my timetable?" I asked hesitantly.

"Your name, please?"

"Elena," I smiled. "Elena… Gilbert."

"Oh Miss Gilbert, of course. I have your schedule right here," she said, digging in her desk before pulling out a file and handing it over to me.

"Okay, thank you."

"It's my pleasure. Have a good first school day, Miss!"

I nodded, smiling. "Thank you, I most certainly hope so."

I turned around to face Caroline again, who was looking at me with excitement in her emerald-green eyes like she was waiting for something specifically. But what? That was the question.

I rummaged in my bag, trying to find my phone. And as expected, there was a text from Elijah waiting for me, wishing me a good first day at the new High School. I smiled silently to myself – this was one of many reasons why I loved him, he made always sure that I was okay even if hundreds of miles separated us.

Putting my phone away again, I looked back up at Caroline. "Where to now?"

"What is your first lesson?" She asked.

"Erm," I looked down at my schedule, reading out loud. "History class with Mr. Salvatore, room… 364."

She squealed. "Same as me! Come on, we can walk together to class. And then I can introduce you to my friends. This is so exciting!"

"Caroline, I really don't want to intrude or anything... I mean-"

"Oh don't be silly, Elena," she laughed. "You are not intruding, I am inviting you. Plus, I'm sure they will love you."

"Well, if you say so," I giggled. "In which direction do we have to go?"

"Oh yeah, of course. Sorry. Follow me."

Caroline started walking away from the secretary and waited for me to join her. I quickly caught up with her, smiling along at the amount of words that left her mouth. As we were walking through the corridors of the Mystic Fall High School, something, a special someone, caught my eye. I could only see him from behind as we walked past him, but something about that guy seemed so familiar to me. Just as if I knew him from somewhere, but where? His muscular back, the raven black hair… No he couldn't be… Could he?

"Earth to Elena!"

My eyes shot over to her, my mind slowly coming back to reality. "What? Sorry, I didn't…"

"Yeah, I could see that," Caroline laughed. "Anyways, where was I? Oh right, our history teacher, Mr. Salvatore. Gosh, that guy is so hot! I can't help but stare the whole lesson at him, I swear. That's the Salvatore genes, you know. His younger brother Stefan is in our year… Not that bad either," she took a deep breath. "But Stefan is more of the broody guy. Now don't get me wrong, Stefan is a really good friend of mine and I love him dearly. I gotta introduce you to him later by the way. I'm sure you will love him. What do you think?"

I simply nodded, smiling. "Yeah, right. That would be awesome."

The rest of the way to the classroom, I was completely lost in my thoughts and only caught some words of the thousands that were pouring out of Caroline's mouth. Mostly, I simply nodded or agreed to what she was saying, too distracted to concentrate further on our conversation. There was a possibility, even if it was just a small one, that he went to the same school as I now did. I could be wrong, but there was this feeling in my stomach. The feeling that I would see him again, and the sooner the better.

After a ten-minute walk through the school and Caroline's endless prattle about the Salvatore brothers, specifically the younger brother, we finally made it to room 364. Sighing in relief, I let myself fall down on the chair besides Caroline who was already deepened into a conversation with a dark-skinned and brunette girl. I put my stuff on the desk before me and let my gaze wander around the classroom, examining every single person in my mind.

There were the Queen B's right in the front, three girls, probably cheerleaders showing everyone how things in this school ruled. The jocks, playing with their muscles in front of the girls. And the nerds who had their heads buried in their books, with their mind far away from the world and everyone else. The gothic people all gathered together at the very end of the room. Then there was me, the new girl, eyed by everyone and taken under Caroline Forbes' wing –where was I supposed to fit in?

"Elena?" Caroline voice sounded from beside me. "This is one of my best friends and definitely one of the people that you can be happy to have in your life, Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie, this is Elena Gilbert."

The dark-skinned girl held out her hand to me, smiling. "Nice meeting you, Elena."

"Likewise," I said shaking her hand.

"So where are you from? I mean, what brings you to a little town like Mystic Falls?" Bonnie asked.

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind. Why did people always have to ask that one specific question? What was so interesting about it? I mean, why did it matter from where I came or what I was doing here? I was here now and people should care less about the reason why. It was as simple as that.

So I just said. "I lived In Richmond, but… I guess it was just time for a change, you know."

"Well, I hope you like it here then," she smiled.

I nodded, mumbling. "I really hope so too…"

Bonnie looked at me, giving me a reassuring smile. I smiled back at her, relieved that the people here were so nice and welcoming towards me. I guess it was true what they said about small towns. The people here were like a big family, everyone knew everyone, and everyone new was welcome. I opened my mouth to say something but got quickly interrupted by Caroline's loud voice.

"Hey Ty!" Caroline shouted as a dark haired guy entered the room.

He nodded his head at her, smiling before making his way over to us. He reminded me of one of those TV show stars, tall and muscled, dark brown hair and eyes. One guy of the kind that every girl so desperately wanted to date and that every other guy wished to be like - long story short - Mr. Popular.

"Caroline, Bonnie," he smiled, coming to a halt before me. "Who is your new friend?"

"Oh yeah," a smile curled up on Caroline's lips. "Tyler, this is Elena Gilbert. She's new in town. Elena this is Tyler Lockwood, he plays for the school's football team and is my best friend since kinder garden."

"Nice to meet you, Elena."

"Nice meeting you too, Tyler. So football, huh?" I mocked.

He let out a hard laugh. "Yeah, what can I say? I run with the folks, plus I'm quite good at it."

"Quite good at it?" Caroline frowned. "You're one of the best players this school ever had, right Bonnie?"

"Exactly!" Bonnie answered just as enthusiastically as Caroline.

I shook my head in amusement. "I see, you have a whole fan club supporting you."

A loud laughter escaped my lips, my nostrils vibrating in reaction and shutting my eyes tight. Something about these people in this town made me feel like maybe, I already was a part of this. Maybe I did fit in somewhere.

Maybe it was this school with these people, maybe it wasn't, but all I knew was that right there, I felt comfortable. It wasn't perfect – not like with Elijah– but I felt comfortable and that was way better than in all those other schools that I had been in before multiplied together. It was by far more than I ever expected.

"Naah, that's just Caroline and Bonnie."

"Hey," Caroline punched him on the shoulder. "What is that supposed to mean? Just? Duh, we're everything you have."

"Oh well, I wouldn't be so sure about that," he grinned.

"Don't try to act cool in front of Elena now when you're obviously not, Ty," Caroline shot back.

I laughed, my gaze wandering back and forth between the two of them as they argued. In some crazy way, they actually reminded me of Elijah and myself when we started teasing each other and making fun of the other. I sighed, my smile slowly dropping. I had been away for a day and I already missed seeing his face every day or talking to him every hour. It's like when you spend most of your life with a certain person and then there comes a time when you can't do that anymore, it just takes you down at the most unforeseen moments. One like this one.

"I am cool, Care and don't act like you don't know-"

"Well I personally have to side with Ms. Forbes on this one, Mr. Lockwood, but if you wouldn't mind to sit down and take your history material out, I would really appreciate it," an all too familiar velvety voice sounded from the front of the classroom.

"If you say so, Mr. Salvatore."

"Yes, I do say so and now sit down and get your stuff out."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Coolio," Tyler mumbled before finally moving out of my way and sitting down on the chair before me.

Normally I would have laughed at Tyler's comment, but in that moment, I was too busy trying to get a look at the source of this voice.

And then I saw him. Mr. Salvatore aka the blue-eyed stranger from the other night that had been haunting me since then. He was leaning casually against his desk, his gaze focused on Tyler Lockwood. My heart missed a beat, thousands of thoughts whirled through my mind. Not a single one making any sense. I watched him take some files in his hand as he cleared his throat, intending to speak again while I just sat there. Staring at him, prepared for everything but this.

"So now that we have cleared that up, let's come to other things," he said, looking down at a paper he was holding. "I got told that we have a new student in our class… Elena Gilbert?"

He looked up, his ice blue eyes wandering over the rows before they almost immediately locked with mine. I gulped, a shiver spreading all over my skin, my breathing catching in my throat. My mind went black, my heart pounding in my chest. The eyes that had been haunting me since that once magical night, whether it was day or night they had always been on my mind, and they held the same shock as mine did. We looked at each other for what seemed like forever, our facial expressions showing thousands of feelings and at the same time, nothing at all as we both got lost in each other's souls.

I had imagined all kinds of meetings with this guy, how he would look at me and make me laugh, how he would challenge me and give me that feeling of being seen for who I really was. How he would make feel alive one more time. But now, all of that was gone, the chances we would have had. And all that I had left were the memories of that night and the knowledge that it could never happen again.

"I'm here," I choked out.

Because he was the teacher and I was the student. His student.**  
**

* * *

**In your heart you know what you must do **  
**You only got yourself to answer to **  
**Don't let fear of falling hold you down **  
**Your spirit's flying high above the clouds **  
**You're going there**

**Come on here's your chance **  
**Don't let it slip right through your hands **  
**Are you ready? **  
**For the ride of your life **  
**Your dreams are riding on the wind **  
**Just reach out and pull them in **  
**Get ready for the ride of your life**

* * *

**_A/N: I AM SO SO SO SORRY! I knew it's been a while since I last posted, but like I said - I had my tests and other school stuff, relieved to say __that I made it through my year with really good marks, but I'm on holiday since a 2 weeks now and I finally got this chapter finished. And now don't shoot me! I know the ending was far from what you all expected in this story, but if you re-read the summary I put in the Prologue, you may have had an idea. There is written that she falls in love with someone that she isn't supposed to fall in love with... Well well, what could fit better than a teacher? ;-)_**

**_From now on, the story is actually beginning. And Damon will appear a lot more, and you will see what happens._**

**_A huge Thank you goes once again to my BETA Molly (Everythingbasedonlove), she helps me a lot and really is the best BETA I could wish for. She knows how nervous I was about this chapter and her reassuring words made me a bit less nervous and more excited. And if you haven't checked her stories out yet, what are you waiting for? She isn't only a wonderful BETA and friend, but also a brilliant writer. I could spend hours reading her stuff. :)_**

**_Anyways, I get told to be very talkative so I will shut up now. I hope you enjoyed it! Would love to hear your thoughts on this one :)_**

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**_Twitter: PureHeaart_  
**

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**Reviews are love!**


	6. Explanations

**I don't own anything, the characters belong to CW.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5  
**

* * *

_Found myself today_  
_Oh I found myself and ran away_  
_Something pulled me back_  
_The voice of reason I forgot I had_  
_All I know is you're not here to say_  
_What you always used to say_  
_But it's written in the sky tonight_

_So I won't give up_  
_No I won't break down_  
_Sooner than it seems life turns around_  
_And I will be strong_  
_Even if it all goes wrong_  
_When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe_  
_Someone's watching over me_  
_**  
**_

* * *

**DPOV**

My gaze was focused on the brunette girl sitting on a stool at the back of my classroom, a girl that I remembered far too well. Her smile had burned itself into my mind; the feeling of her lips still tickled mine, her chocolate brown eyes still looking right through to my soul. Falling into a trance of shock and happiness at the same time, I only looked at her and got transported back to that one night. The noises around me faded into one big silence, only her and I existing in that very moment. I was known to be the typical womanizer – every night another woman, never the guy to settle down - but something about that night, that mystery girl, had left an effect on me. The way she flipped her silky hair, her slightly broken smile and her laugh, so young and innocent but it was still so mature.

I had spent nights thinking about her, hoping I would see her again. And then this happened.

Wasn't it ironic how much I had hoped of seeing her again and then after three weeks, she showed up, sitting happily in my classroom like she didn't have a care, emphasizing that she was my student. And just like that, all my hopes had vanished as I realized that the mystery girl and I could never return to that one special night ever again, not in this lifetime."Welcome to our school, Miss. Gilbert," I managed to spit out. "I hope you enjoy it here."  
**  
**I noticed how her facial expression had changed, as if realization hit her and launched her right back into the present, back into this classroom with me. As if she, too, had been lost in thoughts about that one night we both had met for the very first time, how we had talked and laughed, kissed under the stars. So many things had happened that night, things that weren't allowed to ever happen again.

She nodded her head at me, smiling lightly. "Thank you… Mr Salvatore."

I gulped. Mr Salvatore, the way my last name rolled off of her tongue made me forget, for one moment, that we were in my classroom. It made me forget all the other teenagers in the room, but at the same moment, I got reminded because of her saying my last name that she was my student. Nothing more. Nothing else. She never would be again.

"So, let's continue where we left off from the last lesson," I clapped my hands together, trying to get the attention of my students rather than spending another minute focusing my thoughts on one specific student in the room. "Somebody wanna tell me who Martin Luther King was again?"

I let my gaze wander over the classroom, noticing how some hands immediately shot up while other students didn't even bother to look up from their desks and carried on talking to their classmates. I sighed, high school students would probably never change. I

"Mr. Mikaelson," I said, laying my eyes on Klaus who was sitting in the front of the classroom and was deep in conversation with one of the cheerleaders. "Would you fancy helping me out here?"

He looked up at me, leaning back in his seat and laughing. "Not really, no."

"Well if that is so, Mr. Mikaelson, let me say one thing. Whether you want t-"

"Martin Luther King was an American activist and a prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He played a big role in the advancement of the civil rights movement in the United States and all over the world… especially because he didn't use any violence to reach what he wanted," a soft voice cut me off, making me turn my head around, looking her right in the eye. "Since then, he has been the national icon in the history of modern American liberalism. I mean, he has shown us all that violence is never the right answer."

"That's right," I smiled lightly at her. "Well done, Ele- Ms. Gilbert."

A slight blush crept up on her cheeks, a small smile playing around her features as she tried to look everywhere but at my face. I shook my head at her before going back to concentrating on my other students, but there was still one thing that kept haunting me for the rest of the lesson. Elena and I had to talk, face to face, and the sooner the better.

…

The school bell rang, finally releasing me from my misery. Within the whole lesson, my eyes kept roaming around the room, always finding hers in the middle of the class. This girl, her hazel eyes and her gorgeous smile, just didn't seem to be able to leave my mind anymore. Seeing her back – even if it was through such wrong and unexpected circumstances – had whirled something up in me. Something new, something unknown.

And as I watched all her classmates get up from their seats, ready to leave the room in seconds and disappear into the hallways of the Mystic Fall High School, I did the only thing that I could think of. I called her name, seeking for the only opportunity that made it possible to talk with her, to see her and remember.

Remember what it felt like, being with her and talking to her. Laughing and feeling like nothing, no one in the world could hurt me, us, ever again.**  
**  
"Miss Gilbert," I asked, taking a deep breath. "Could you please wait another minute? I have to talk to you about something."

I could see her head shooting up to me, an irritated, but at the same time, shocked expression on her face as she stared at me. Her brown doe eyes locked with mine. I saw in her eyes the fear of having this conversation; I knew that she, just like me, had expected everything to happen when she walked into this school this morning. Everything but this.

She gulped before slowly nodding her head. "Yeah, of course, Mr. Salvatore."

I leaned against my desk, watching the other students leave the classroom as fast as possible while Elena slowly picked her books up from her desk and put them into her bag. The same bag she had had that night when… No, I shook my head, I couldn't get into that again. I needed to shut those feelings out – the feelings that I had been harbouring since I had first seen her at the Grill that night – so I could be able to have a secure conversation with her.

The last students were walking out of the classroom, leaving Elena and me back alone. A long and dreadful silence extended itself between us, her gaze focused onto the pale ground while I just watched her, trying to figure her out. The girl standing before me had so many different sides from what I could tell, most of them still unknown to me. She was brave, so pure and mature, the way she smiled could make thousands of guys swoon and her hazel eyes had this spark of hope in them. On the other side, she seemed so insecure and innocent, at times she seemed so lost with herself and all the people around her – just like right now. Something about this girl made me want to save her in so many ways that I couldn't even explain to myself. I just had to.

I knew that I had only known Elena for a short amount of time. Hell, this was the second time I had even seen her, but I felt like I had known her my whole life. It was like I knew her better than she probably knew herself.

I sighed.

"Elena..."

Her eyes shot up to me, an unreadable expression lying in them. This was the moment. We needed to talk. It was now or never.

"If I had known that you were my student, I would have never… I mean you were living in Richmond, how could I… God, Elena!" I groaned, burying my head into my hands.

"I know," she nearly cried out, now whispering. "I know…"

I looked up to her, seeing the lost glance in her eyes as she looked back at me. I got up from my desk and made my way over to her, coming to halt only millimetres before her. God, she was so beautiful, I quietly thought to myself.

"That night," I mumbled, looking her straight in the eye. "It was incredible, you were incredible. You made me feel things that I didn't even know I still could feel. Hell, I didn't even know feelings like that could ever exist, but you and me both know that it can never happen again. It was wrong in so many ways."

"What do you want me to do now? Just forget that it happened?" She whispered, secretly already knowing the answer to her question.

I took a deep breath before saying out loud what I knew was the right thing to do, but deep inside, I hated myself for it.

"No one can ever find out about what happened that night, that you and me… You are my student. That night, it… It never happened. It's for the best, Elena."

"I know that it is the right thing to do," she sighed. "God knows I do, but I can't forget what happened, Damon, and honestly? I don't want to."

"Do you think I want to, Elena? Believe me, I don't, but we have no choice!" I exclaimed quietly, running my hand through my hair. "We just have no choice…"

"No choice? A friend taught me once that you always have a choice, Damon."

"I am your teacher now, god damn it. Don't you get it? You and me, us, it will never happen."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she dropped her gaze, not wanting to look me in the eyes in that very moment. "I get it, I do."

I lifted my hand to her cheek and carefully wiped the tear away that was now slowly rolling down her soft skin. It felt like silk under the touch of my hand. Leaning my forehead against hers, I breathed in and out, trying to keep down my feelings for this one special girl. Though I didn't know Elena, I still felt this urge of attraction towards her. It was like my body was seeking for hers, my heart aching with every step that I had to walk away from her again, a rollercoaster of feelings overwhelming me whenever her gaze caught mine.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered against her skin.

Elena hesitantly nodded her head, gulping before she placed her hand on mine, removing it from her cheek and looking me straight in the eye.

"I-I-I should really go now," she stuttered, her lips quivering. "Caroline is probably waiting for me."

She shot me a small smile before turning away from me, grabbing her bag and starting to make her way over to the wooden classroom door. I looked over her, her long and silky brown hair swinging around to the rhythm of her hips, the smooth movements of her body as she walked. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the urge that made me want to call out her name and feel her one last time in my arms. I just wanted to feel her lips against mine, just for one last time.

But before I could stop myself, I was already walking towards her, calling her name in the hope that she would turn around to me and I could catch that pure look in her hazel eyes another time. The look that was only directed at me.

"Wait, Elena!"

I caught her by her wrist, spinning her around to me, only millimetres separating our faces and bodies from touching each other. I could hear her breathing quicken and her heartbeat drumming against her small chest. My eyes connected with hers, her soul lying open before me as I slowly leaned towards her. My blood was running nervously through my veins. I stared at her parted lips, feeling her warm breath tickling my skin, and then back into her eyes, searching for her permission before I conquered the pathetic distance between us.

Shutting my eyes tight, I laid my lips softly on hers, my hands closing around her face. I lowered her on one of the benches in the classroom, our tongues moving like one as if they were made for each other. A match made in heaven. Her hands took were in a vice like grip around my wrists while her tongue pushed passionately against mine, a certain fire lying in her moves.

The feeling of her lips against mine, her body pushing against mine, it was like being transported back to that one night. Just this time, we weren't two strangers that had only just met. No, we were just two people seeking to get the feeling that the other one gave us once again. For one more time feeling alive, like no one could ever destroy that again. But then, she abruptly broke the kiss as she removed her lips from mine. She was breathing heavily and looked at me, an indefinable expression lying in her eyes. Was it fear? Desire? Passion? Sadness? …Love?

God damn it, Damon, I cursed myself. She is your _student_. You're her _teacher_. She's your responsibility. I opened my mouth to say something, anything that could make this situation any better as I realised where and what we just had done, but she stopped me, her soft voice ringing in my ears.

"Don't…" she mumbled, holding her hand high and taking a step back.

So I didn't. I just stood there, staring at her and waiting for her to do whatever she thought was best. And as I looked into her hazel eyes, her intense gaze meeting mine, I knew exactly what she was thinking. This, what we had just done, would never happen again. Not because we didn't want to, not because we both believed it wasn't real, but because we knew it was wrong. In so many ways. It was a risk we both weren't ready to take. Not yet…

I sighed, nodding my head at her, telling her that I understood.

"Goodbye Mr. Salvatore," she said loudly, shooting me a small smile before grabbing her bag and turning around and walking to the door.

"Goodbye Elena," I whispered, watching her close the door behind her, not once looking back at me.

I sighed. This school year had a big change in prospect, and it had started the second Elena Gilbert had entered my classroom. Then and there, I knew that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

* * *

**EPOV**

At lunchtime, I walked together with Caroline, Bonnie and Tyler over to the cafeteria, still completely lost in my thoughts. Since the moment I had seen him in the classroom, leaning casually against his desk, his mesmerizing eyes looking at me with the same expression, I was lost. The same expression that had formed in his eyes the moment that we had first met. The expression that made my heart beat faster and caused the butterflies in my stomach to flutter a thousand times faster.

Damon, or better, Mr. Salvatore, had this effect on me. It wasn't even explainable to myself. Something, when I was in his presence, changed in me, made me want to never leave him again. But now, him being my teacher, it changed everything once again. The light moment that we had shared in his classroom, I knew it could never happen again. We weren't supposed to. And no matter what I tried to tell myself to make this all right, deep inside, I knew it wasn't. It never would be.

I let out a heavy sigh, letting myself fall onto one of the chairs in the cafeteria. I placed my tray of food onto the table and took my place beside Care and Bonnie while Tyler settled down on the other side of us.

Pushing my food around, my thoughts wandered back to our talk earlier in the day, back to our kiss. The taste of his lips on mine, the feelings of his soft touch on my skin, his piercing blue eyes staring into the mine. Everything about it had felt so right, and yet it was so wrong.  
**  
**"Elena?" Caroline waved her hand in front of my face, bringing me back to the present and stowing my thoughts about the black haired man, who had taken refuge in the back of my mind.

I stammered. "Wh-what?"

"This is Matt Donovan," she said, gesturing to the blond guy with eyes so deep and blue as the ocean, before she directed her gaze at the guy standing next to Matt. "And that's Stefan Salvatore. Matt and Stefan, this is Elena Gilbert, she's new in town."

I winced at the mention of his last name – Salvatore – once again being reminded of why I was so absent in the first place. Damon. The mystery guy from that night. And now my teacher. God, why did things always have to be that complicated? Couldn't they be easy for once? Just for one single time, things could play out the way I wanted them to. All I wanted was to be happy for longer than a second, just once. Was that too much to ask?

"Nice to meet you, Elena," Stefan hold out his hand, smiling.

"Nice meeting you too," I looked up at him, shaking his hand politely.

Both of them took their places on one of the chairs by the table we were sitting and joined us for lunch. I smiled quietly to myself, so this was it like for normal kids at school. Just sitting together with friends, eating lunch, laughing, talking. And in this moment, all I wanted was to enjoy it. The feeling of being just like the rest of them, of being normal instead of different for once.

"Hey, aren't you the girl from the Grill from some weeks ago?" The blond guy, Matt, asked me.

I blinked, amazed. "I… You remember me?"

"Yeah, you were talking to Caroline, right?"

"I-I was. Well she did most of the talking," I stuttered, still completely taken back by the fact that he remembered me.

"Obviously," Bonnie laughed.

"Hey!" Caroline cried out.

"Don't take it personal, Care, you know we all love you just the way you are. Even your talkative side," Tyler butted in, flopping an arm around her shoulders and turning his head towards us. "Though it can be annoying from time to time."

"Tyler!" She exclaimed, freeing out of his embrace and looking at him like he just had killed someone.

"What?" He laughed out loud.

"And that's the guy I call my best friend," she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Nice."

"Come on, Care, you know I'm only joking," Tyler nudged her shoulder.

"Are you, yeah?"

I let out a hard laugh, feeling quite amused by the argument that both of them were having. In a way, they really reminded me of myself and Elijah – teasing each other, fighting in a playful way, doing all kinds of things together, but above everything, always being there for the other one. Their friendship, it gave me a feeling of being with him as if he wasn't that far away after all.

"Are they always like that?" I asked the others in a whisper.

"Always," the three of them laughed.

"But that's Tyler and Caroline for you," Bonnie smiled, nodding her head at the both of them. "They tease each other, they hate each other, but at the end of the day, they're the best of friends. None of us gets it, but that's just the way they rule."

"Hey guys!" Stefan called them. "Could you please calm down? We're trying to eat."

"Sorry," Tyler and Caroline said in union, laughing and nudging each other.

"So, Elena," Bonnie said. "You're coming to Stefan's party next weekend, right?"

"A party?" I asked, looking at Caroline.

"Yeah, you should come. It's after the football match at my house," Stefan spoke up.

"I don't know…" I mumbled quietly to myself.

"Elena, come on!" Caroline begged me. "Everybody is gonna be there, we can use this as a chance to introduce you to some people."

"It's gonna be fun," Stefan grinned.

"Yeah," Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"I can pick you up if you want to," Matt spoke up, nervously ruffling his hand through his yellow hair. "I mean, then you don't have to drive by yourself."

My head shot over to him, my gaze freezing on his face. Did he really just ask me what I thought he did? I mean, it couldn't be, right? Or was it? Not really knowing what I should answer, but feeling all the tension on the table, I said the only thing that came into my mind. I said yes.

"Yeah sure," I nodded, smiling lightly at him. "I would like that."

"What is sure is that you will come because it's gonna be great, I assure you," Caroline said enthusiastically, clapping in excitement.

I laughed; shaking my head in amusement as my eyes suddenly caught his at the other end of the room. There he was, talking to some teacher, _colleague_, of his – Mr. Saltzman, if I remembered right from what Caroline had told me earlier. He was eating his lunch like every normal teacher did at lunchtime. God, how I hated feeling this way. It was like nothing could ever go right, it could just go wrong. And Damon, Damon was just one of the endless things on my list that could never come true.

I sighed before turning my head away from him and looked down on my food. Suddenly, all the hunger that I felt had disappeared. In all honesty, I couldn't wait for this day to finally come to an end and find myself back into my bed, back in my dreams where everything was better.

"So, who do we have here?" A high pitched voice sounded from behind me, forcing me to slowly lift my head again. "The new girl. I see you already found friends…"

I stared at the three girls standing before me and I internally laughed to myself. What did I expect? Of course, they were the Queen Bees. To be exact, three of them, one brunette and two blondes. It wouldn't have been a real first day in school if they hadn't confronted me yet and checked me out, deciding in their head if I was worth being tortured all year or if they would just leave me alone and never talk to me again. Every single time, in every new school I went to, it was the same scenario and every single time, I couldn't care less.

"Come on, Katherine," that was Stefan now, he seemed to know her a bit better than the rest of the group. "Just leave Elena alone. She didn't do anything to you."

The brunette girl laughed. "Seriously, Stefan? Just because we were dating for some time, doesn't mean I will listen to anything you say. I've never been someone to follow orders, right, girls?"

"Definitely not," both of the blondes laughed silently.

"So Elena it is, right?" She asked, turning back to me, a devilish grin curling up on her lips.

I rolled my eyes. "You don't say."

"Well I'm Katherine Pierce. I'm the person you should definitely listen to if you wanna find your place in this school," she said before motioning to her friends. "And these are Rebekkah Mikaelson and Andie Star."

"Nice to meet you girls," I shot them an added smile. "And now that we have exchanged formalities, could my friends and I please go back to eating our lunch?"

Rebekkah and Andie gasped, their gaze fixed on Katherine, waiting for any reaction from her side. Katherine stared at me like I just had destroyed her whole world, her face filled with shock and disgust at the same time while the rest of the table sat there, trying to contain their laughter's as best as they could.

"What did you just say?" she asked sharply.

"You heard her right, Katherine," Caroline spoke up.

"Yeah, we're eating," Tyler agreed. "You three either can shut up and join us or just leave."

Katherine scoffed and shot me a last disapproving look saying as much as 'You will pay, bitch' before turning around and walking away. "Rebekkah! Andie!"

Both girls shot me a dirty look just like Katherine before they ran after her like two lost puppies following their leader. In some way, it was actually kind of sad, the two of them doing everything she said, following every one of her orders. It was sad because they chose it. They chose popularity over their own freedom, harsh but true. And then they are supposed to be the normal people?

"I still don't understand how you could have dated her once," Caroline blurted out, looking at Stefan. "I mean, she doesn't have a single likeable bone in her body!"

"Says the one that's on the same cheerleading squad with her," Stefan shot back.

Caroline was a cheerleader? That would explain how she just knew everyone and everybody in this school and town. It would explain why she knew Katherine, but something about her, the way she acted, it wasn't like I had expected a cheerleader to be. She was different than the others – different from Katherine, Andie and Rebekkah – and that was an awesome thing. Caroline was simply Caroline and that's why I liked her from the moment I met her.

Caroline scoffed. "Just because we're on the same squad and go to the same parties doesn't mean I automatically have to like her."

"Nobody said that, Care," Tyler said, shooting her a reassuring smile. "Just calm down."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, but you all know how much that-that bitch upsets me."

Bonnie leaned over to her, laying her hand on hers while the others all looked at Caroline, especially Stefan. His gaze never left her. There was this spark of admiration in his eyes; the same spark that Caroline's held when she was looking at him or even just talking about him. Could they maybe be more than friends?

"It's okay," Bonnie said. "Just don't let her take away the best of you."

"She isn't worth it," Matt interjected.

I nodded in agreement. "He's right, Caroline. She's not worth it at all. You're better than her."

"You guys are right," she said, turning to Stefan. "I'm sorry, I just… I can't understand you, but… I am sorry."

He smiled at her, a smile so warm and adorable. It was a smile that I hadn't seen from him until he was looking at her. "It's okay. I don't even understand it myself anymore."

She grinned. "Good, that's the Stefan I know and like again."

We all burst out into laughter at Caroline's words. Nobody seemed to notice how Stefan blushed but me. I smiled quietly to myself – these two really should talk to each other sometime or they would end up with someone different, never knowing that the other one felt exactly the same.

I sighed and looked around myself, looked at the few people surrounding me and thought silently to myself. _Yeah, I think I'm gonna like it here._

* * *

Right after the school bell rang, telling me that the last lesson for the day was finally over, I quickly grabbed my books and packed them into my bag, practically fleeing out of the classroom. I needed to get out of the room, the school, straight away. One minute more and I would have probably gone insane.

So many thoughts were flying around my mind, thoughts about today, about the friends I had made, about my father, about Elijah and mostly about Damon and that night. About everything that had changed in my life since then and about all the things that had yet to change. God, I sighed, I wanted to have a moment of normality, just for once. A moment where I could just breathe out without having to fear that the next moment, the world would come crashing down on me again. Just one single moment of peace.

Shutting the rest of the world out, I made my way back to the house and tried the best I could to ignore the thoughts that tried to re-enter my mind over and over again.

I opened the front door, hoping that neither Grayson nor John and Jonas would be home, but as soon as I entered the house, I could see my father sitting in the living room and watching TV. Closing the door behind me, I made my way over to stairs, silently praying that he wouldn't hear me. I quickly climbed up the stairs, already relieved that he hadn't noticed me, but then I heard his voice suddenly call out from the bottom of stairs.

"Hey, how was-" he began, but stopped as soon as he noticed that I wasn't going to stop in my tracks.

Ignoring him, I ran into my room, slamming the door shut behind me and dropping my bag onto the ground before I let myself fall onto my bed. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? _Because they care about you, Elena,_the voice in my head whispered to me. I simply ignored it. I didn't want to hear any of it. I just wanted to be left alone.

I took a firm hold on my pillow, burying my head into it as I tried to shut everything out. My thoughts as much as my surroundings.

"Elena?" Grayson quietly knocked on my door, pocking in his head.

"Leave me alone," I cried out into my pillow, not bothering to look up to him. "Please!"

"How was your first day at school? Did something happen?" He asked, walking further into my room. "Elena?"

"No, I said leave!" I groaned, lifting my head up from the pillow to look him right into his eyes.

"I'm not gonna leave you until you tell me what's wrong."

I looked at him, unaware of the thick tears running down my cheeks. "Nothing is wrong, okay?"

"Then why are you crying?" He asked softly, sitting down on my bed.

Lifting my hand up to my face, I slowly wiped the tears away as my gaze dropped to the ground. I didn't dare to look at him, not in the state that I was in.. I was supposed to be strong, tough and independent, and not some girl that was in need for a hug from her father. I knew that the moment I would let him in, the moment I would decide to share my feelings – my inner beliefs – with him, someone would come and destroy that all for me again. And I wouldn't let that happen. Not again. Not this time. I had promised to myself to never let someone hurt me again, be it in a physical or an emotional way.

Even if it wasn't fair to him or to anyone else in my life, I needed to keep it in order to protect myself from the rest of the world because at the end of the day, I couldn't count on anyone but myself. At the end, it would be just myself and I. The same way it had started the day I was born all those seventeen years ago.

"Because… just because," I whispered. "Now leave me alone, please."

"If that's what you want," he lifted my head so he could look me in the eyes.

I nodded. "It is."

"Okay, I'm in the living room or the garage if you need me," he caressed my cheek, more meaning laying in his words than he was letting on.

I sighed and murmured a quiet "I know" to him as he slowly got up from my bed and made his way back to the door. As much as I wanted to deny it, already after my second day here, in this house, with him, he gave me the feeling like I had finally found a place where I belonged. And to be honest, it scared the hell out of me. It scared me because I knew that someday something would ruin it, I would ruin it and I was scared that once I started to feel like I belonged, I wouldn't be ready to let go of _my _place and him ever again.

"And Elena?" he said, turning back to me.

I lifted my head, whispering. "What?"

"I don't know if I told you, but…" He hesitated, smiling lightly at me. "I'm glad you're here."

My heart skipped a beat, my eyes tearing up again as I stared up at him, taken back by his words and not knowing what I should say. All my previous thoughts came rushing back to me, my internal voice telling me to forget all of them and simply be happy and enjoy the life I had now. If it were just that easy…

I gulped, biting on my lip nervously before slowly nodding and shooting him a small but honest smile. "Me too."

Grayson smiled back at me and in that moment, we both knew that this was the first step, the first of thousands more to come, but it was something. It was a beginning. The beginning of the father-daughter relationship that one day we would hopefully have.

He closed the door behind him, leaving me, once again, alone with my thoughts. I let myself fall back onto my back and simply stared at the ceiling, my mind completely blank. Shutting my eyes tight, I let my thoughts drift away to other places, back to memories and back to Elijah…

Elijah! If there was someone I could talk to, someone that would actually listen to me, someone who would care, and tell me what to do, it was him. He was the one who could always see the light at the end of the tunnel while all I could see was the darkness that was surrounding me. He had always been my lantern that leaded me out of dark and back into the light, the one to give me hope and confidence in life.

Quickly wiping my tears away, I jumped up from my bed to grab my bag and searched through it. After what seemed like a decade, I finally found my phone and dialed his number.

"Come on, Eli," I mumbled, internally praying that he would somehow hear me. "Pick up already."

Nervously pacing my room, I waited for him to answer, to pick up and tell me that everything was gonna be okay. But nothing happened. Just his stupid mailbox.

"This is the mailbox of Elijah Smith, leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible. That's if I want to, of course," his voice sounded from the other end of line.

"Really? If you want to?" I chuckled, my silent tears slowly turning into a never-ending waterfall. "Damn Elijah, where are you? I need you…" I sobbed into the phone. "I need you here with me."

* * *

_Seen that ray of light  
And it's shining on my destiny  
Shining all the time  
And I wont be afraid  
To follow everywhere it's taking me  
All I know is yesterday is gone  
And right now I belong  
To this moment to my dreams_

_So I won't give up_  
_No I won't break down_  
_Sooner than it seems life turns around_  
_And I will be strong_  
_Even if it all goes wrong_  
_When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe_

_Someone's watching over me._

* * *

**_A/N: Here we go with the next chapter. Finally. Sorry that it took me so long again, but I was on holiday for about 10 days and though, I already got this chapter finished the day before I left, it still needed to be edited by my wonderful Beta Molly. And thanks to her, you now could read a new chapter. I really hope you liked it cause I personally don't like it very much but as long as you all like it, I am happy. Long story short - Hope you enjoyed it! :-)_**

* * *

**_Twitter: PureHeaart_**

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**Reviews are love!**


	7. Babysteps

**I don't own anything, the characters belong to CW.**

* * *

**_CHAPTER 6_**

_**Babysteps**_

_There's some things that I regret,_  
_Some words I wish had gone unsaid,_  
_Some starts,_  
_That had some bitter endings,_  
_Been some bad times I've been through,_  
_Damage I cannot undo._  
_  
Some things,_  
_I wish I could do all all over again,_  
_But it don't really matter,_  
_Life gets that much harder,_  
_It makes you that much stronger,_  
_Oh, some pages turned,_  
_Some bridges burned,_  
_But there were,_  
_Lessons learned.**  
**_

* * *

**EPOV**

Holding my schoolbooks close to my chest, I walked through the corridors of the Mystic Falls High School, trying to reach my locker before the first bell rang. Two whole weeks had passed since I first moved here, since I had found out that the dark and handsome stranger from that one night wasn't just anyone, but that he was my history teacher. Of all the schools I could have joined, and of all the classes that I could have been put in, it had to be his. A bit cliché, though, wasn't it? One night you meet a stranger, charming and handsome, he makes you forget and you feel happy, even just for a while. Then in the blink of an eye, this guy transforms into someone that you can never possibly have that with ever again. Because he is your teacher, he's in authority, someone that is responsible for you. And just like that, all the happiness is gone.

A tired sigh left my lips as I finally reached my locker. I never thought my life would turn out like this; so much had changed these past few weeks. Things that I never thought were possible had happened; both good and bad, or at least something in between. I still wasn't used to any of this – going to a decent school, actually having people that I could call my friends, coming home to someone who actually cared enough to ask how my day had been.

And then there was Damon. When it came to him, even after a month, I still didn't have a single clue what to call him or how to act around him. On the not so rare occasion, I would catch myself blocking everything else out and just listening to the smooth tone of his voice, staring into his deep blue eyes and not having the ability to tear my gaze away from him. He and I hadn't talked anymore since that day in his classroom, the only time we saw each other was in history class twice a week. Other than that, I was trying to avoid him the best I could. I just couldn't face him anymore, knowing that I could never feel his soft lips against mine ever again, that I would never be able to run my fingers through his raven black hair. I groaned silently to myself, yanking the door of my locker open and shoving my books into it. I really needed to stop thinking about him, once and for all.

"Elena!" The high-pitched voice of my blonde friend echoed through the hallways, causing me to jump.

I let out a small chuckle, turning to face her, a small smile tugging on the side of my lips as she arrived at my side, looking as excited as ever. Something had clearly got her panties in a twist. I had never seen Caroline so excited, but then again, I had only known her for about two weeks. Not counting our very first meeting when I came to Mystic Falls to search for Grayson.

"Good morning to you, too, Caroline," I smiled.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," she waved me off, jumping up and down. "You know what day tomorrow is, right?"

"Uhm…" I scratched the back of my neck.

"Elena Gilbert!" She exclaimed, smacking my arm. "Do not tell me that you forgot!"

"Well, that hurt," I mumbled, rubbing my hand softly over the place she had hit me on. "No need to get violent, Care."

"Oh come on, that was just a little pinch," the blonde rolled her eyes. "And don't you dare try changing the topic now. This is important!" She screeched.

I held my hands up. "Okay okay, I surrender. So, what's so important about tomorrow?"

Caroline's face brightened up instantly. "Stefan's party, that's what is tomorrow! And you, Bonnie and me are going shopping this afternoon, girl."

Oh god, I had completely forgotten about that with everything else that had been going on. The past two weeks had all been about trying to be as normal as the rest of the students of Mystic Falls, to not stand out of the crowd, but my mind had been clouded with thousands of thoughts all of the time.

For starters there was Grayson, who was desperately trying to build up a relationship with me, and as much as I wanted to, I just couldn't. The thought of getting attached to him, of depending on him, scared the hell out of me. What if he abandoned me again, just like he had done once all those years ago? I couldn't risk it, I just couldn't. And still I knew that even though I refused to believe it and tried to deny it, I liked the thought of having him around, to finally have a real father. A dad. It was something I had wished for my whole life, and now that I finally had something close to it, I was trying to fight against it. But was there really something wrong with me just because I didn't want to get my heart broken again? Was it really that bad of me to push him away in order to protect myself and the walls that I had built up over all these years?

"Elena," Caroline's voice broke through to me. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Uh, ye-ye-yes of course."

"Oh good. As I was saying," she smiled. "Stefan's party is tomorrow so I thought you and I…"

That's all I heard before being thrown back in to the ocean of thoughts that were floating around in my head, waves of knowledge and emotion crashing against each other, melting into one block of ice. The only difference now was that I was no longer thinking about Grayson or even Damon and how much my life had changed direction since I had arrived here, but about Elijah. Good old Elijah; my best friend, my brother, my protector. I sighed, our conversation from two weeks ago returning to me…

_I stared at the plain white ceiling of my bedroom as I l__ay__ on my bed.__ Wrapped__ under the fluffy covers, my mind __was __completely blank and dry tears silently roll__ed__ down my cheeks. I didn't move, or react to anything. I simply l__ay__ there and stared. I __had only been there __for one day and everything was already so messed __? Why couldn't I just be happy and careless for one bloody day? Just one day, was that too much to ask? Well, apparently it was. God, I groaned, turning around and pressing my face into the soft __material__ of my pillow. I wanted to be so angry, __enough __to scream and simply let it all out. But I couldn't, I was just so darn tired. I didn't have it in me anymore._

_Life threw one stone after another in my __way. One__ obstacle __just __followed the other. Just when I thought that maybe I had a chance and that everything would get better; I was proved__,__ once __again, that__ that wasn't the life for me. Wherever I went, trouble seemed to follow me. And Damon? He was just another example __of__ exactly that. At first he was this mysterious guy who had made me feel free __again. With__ him__,__ I had been able to be myself, even if just for __that __one night. Now, well now he was just another mistake that people would hold against me once they found out. For me, everything that had happened between us would never be a mistake, but for everyone else, it would certainly look like one. That's why I needed to stay away from __him as__much__ as possible__. __It was the only way._

_I snuggled deeper into my covers, closing my eyes. Everything was going to be okay one day, I tried to tell myself. __A__nd until then, I just needed to smile and pretend that it was. __Someday__, I wouldn't need to convince myself or other people of it anymore because it would actually be the truth. _

_The shrill ringing of my cell phone made me lift my head in exhaustion as I return__ed__ from my thoughts. Without bothering to look at the caller ID, I picked it up. "Hello?"_

_"Elena? Elena?" My best friend's panicked voice sounded from the other end of the line. "Are you okay? What happened? Shall I come over? I swear, I will jump into my car this exact moment and drive over to Mystic Falls, I-"_

_"Eli," I let out a forced laugh, knowing exactly how unconvincing I was about to sound in the next few minutes. "Everything's fine. Don't-Don't worry about me."_

_"Don't worry about me? Really?" I could literally hear him clench his teeth from __where I was__. "You leave me a voicemail like that and __then __tell me not to worry about you? What the hell, Elena?"_

_I sighed. "Elijah, calm down…"_

_"NO! I'm not gonna calm down, Elena! What did you expect from me? To simply ignore you crying all over my voicemail? Well," he basically screamed into the phone. "Sorry for worrying about my best friend. God," his voice was softer now. "What is wrong, little one? Please talk to me."_

_My heart broke at his words, the soft tone making me feel bad for lying to him after that horrid voicemail. I knew he was only worried about me, but I just couldn't tell him the truth. He would immediately make his way over here to make sure I was okay, and as much as I would love to have him around – everything was easier when he was __close by__, being me seemed to be the easiest thing in the world around him – I couldn't do it. I felt bad for being the one to hold him back all this time. Elijah deserved to have a life o__f__ his own without me having to come between i__t__ all the time. He had better __things__ to do than fix my shit every time I felt weak and helpless. _

_"I'm okay, Eli__.__ I really am," I tried to reassure him. "I was just panicking. Everything is so different here and-and I guess I-I just… missed you."_

_"You know, you've always been a bad liar."_

_"I don't know what you're talking about, __Elijah. I__-I'm not lying," I responded, trying to sound as convincing as possible._

_"Elena," he sighed. "I've known you basically your whole life__;__ you don't just go around calling people and leaving them desperate voicemails. I know you, and whatever it was that made you call me an hour ago is still on your mind right now. And the longer you try to put it in the back of your mind, the more it will eat you up. I thought we already went over this, little one." I could literally see him before me right now. He __would have __that disapproving look in his eyes, a sad smile playing on his lips. "You can't hide who you are and how you're really doing when it comes down to me.__ So __don't try to fool me. I'm gonna ask you one last time. What happened?"_

_I gulped. I wanted to tell him everything, but I knew I couldn't. Elijah's first priority had always been to make sure I'm happy, now it was my turn to put him first and to make that he was exactly that. Happy. _

_So I simply answered, "Nothing happened, I assure you, Eli."_

Never in the slightest had I imagined that that would be the last time that I would hear from Elijah. In the two weeks that had passed, I hadn't once talked to him. I didn't think there had been a time that I hadn't spoken to him until now. It felt weird not having him around and it honestly bugged me. No matter how often I told myself that maybe it was better like this, it still didn't feel right not being able to talk to him. And I knew that I really had upset him by not telling him the truth. The thought of him being mad at me, I didn't think I could take it. He had never been really mad at me before, sure there had been some little fights and disagreements, but this… this was different.

It wasn't us.

We both had known loss and grief our whole lives. From the cradle, we both were used to being alone, to feeling lonely and lost, but somewhere along the way, we had found each other and slowly had started to pick up each other's pieces. A once shattered soul was less shattered and less lonely now, and day-by-day, it had healed a bit more. While I was once that little girl that had not a single person in the world, one that thought believing and dreaming was for people who didn't want to except that life was hard, I had now grown into a young woman. One that still had a shattered soul, her past always lingering in the back of her mind, but I had learned to deal with it, maybe not yet accept it, but it was a start. And without Elijah, I would have never gotten to that place. He saved me simply by being my brother. By being that one person in the world who was there and who cared enough to stay.

"God damn it, Elena!" Caroline suddenly snapped.

"I-I-I'm sorry," I stuttered, pulling out my history book before closing my locker and turning around to face her. "I'm just tired and can't concentrate on anything. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. But hey," she grinned. "We have history now and there is no better place to sleep than when Mr. Salvatore starts talking about ancient stuff that not even my grams would want to relive because actually, it IS that boring."

I shook my head laughing, following the blonde girl as she started walking to room 364. "Come on 'Care, history isn't that bad. I actually quite like it."

"You can't fool me, Elena," she sing-songed. "You only like to drool all over the Adonis that is our history teacher."

"I so do not!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Elena. Keep telling yourself that…" Caroline grinned. "But you can never fool me. Just bear that in my mind. I know exactly what you're doing."

"Oh, and what exactly am I doing according to you, Caroline?"

"Let's put it like this," she said, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "I don't want to see what's going on in that dirty head of yours whenever he's standing right beside you in class, or maybe should I say behind you?"

I gasped, but joined in laughing anyway. "Caroline, you did just not say that!"

"I must have said it if you heard it," she laughed before disappearing into the classroom and leaving me behind at the doorframe.

I snickered lightly to myself, clutching the book tightly with my hands. Caroline was one of the people that made life here in Mystic Falls a lot easier. With her bubbly and lively attitude, she never failed to make me smile. From minute one, she had treated me like an equal, like one of her friends. And maybe for most people, even for herself, that seemed to be the norm for her, but for me – a girl that had grown up as an orphan with nobody to care for her, only one friend on her side her whole life – it meant everything. Caroline and her friends didn't know about my past, where I came from and who I was, but they accepted me the way I was. No questions asked. It was like whoever I was in the past… it didn't matter here…to them.

And for once in my life, it felt good to get accepted by people despite of who I was and had been. I knew that at some point the questions would start, and that they deserved to hear the answers to them, but for now, I wasn't ready to face my past just yet and justify myself to them. Maybe one day I finally would be.

A small cough came from behind me, causing me to jump and turn around to face the source of said noise. I gulped as I took in the features of the person standing right before me – his ice blue eyes boring into mine, his blackened hair that hung lazily over his forehead, his biceps that looked slightly tense. A sudden dizziness took over me; my surroundings turning into one big blur and the world coming to a halt, as there was just him and me. Standing in the doorway of his classroom. My whole body felt heated, my heart bumping loudly against my chest. The blood rushing through my veins, my mind completely blank. It felt like I had no control over my body anymore, whatsoever, like his presence had taken over me and I was waiting for him to take over me.

"Why aren't you in the classroom yet, Ms. Gilbert?" His hoarse voice snapped me from my reverie, reality crashing back down to me and forcing me to dive out of my ocean of thoughts.

"I… uhm… I'm sorry, Mr. Salvatore," I mumbled quickly before turning around and rushing to my seat, not once daring to look back at him.

Banging my books down on the desk, I slid in my seat beside Caroline, who was currently talking to Bonnie. I let out a relieved sigh, mentally slapping myself for my behaviour just five seconds ago. It was like whenever I was around Damon lately, I had no idea what to do or how to behave. Not since he had made it clear that he and I – us - could never happen. There were no us. There never had been.

Back in Richmond, I was used to hiding my feelings. I was used to pretending that all the stuff the kids at school did to me didn't matter, that I didn't care. I had lived that way since I could remember. People insulted me, screamed at me, treated me the way they thought I deserved it. Sometimes it was enough to make ME believe that I deserved it myself, but not once had I let it affect me. I was basically numb inside, but when it came down to Damon, something in me changed. Whatever he said or did, it seemed to affect me in a deeper way than I ever thought possible. I would feel all kinds of feelings around him, from nervousness to pure anger then back to dizziness. His behaviour towards me was able to change my mood in seconds; it nearly felt as if he had control over me.

It was strange and new. Not something I had ever experienced before with anyone. But in some way, it felt good, right even. Not wrong at all.

"What took you so long?" Bonnie's voice startled me.

"Uhm…"

"Did you get lost in Mr. Salvatore's big blue eyes?" Caroline joined in teasingly, a big grin spreading out on her lips.

I rolled my eyes, letting out a forced laugh. "Whatever floats your boat, Care."

"Or whoever floats yours, 'Lena," Bonnie winked.

Taking my head in my hands, I sank down in my seat. "Guys!"

"Fine, fine!" Caroline held her hands up in surrender. "I will stop, but just admit it, you totally have the hots for him. I mean, who wouldn't?"

"Who has the hots for who?" Tyler slumped down in his chair before me, grinning at me. "Fancying someone, Elena?"

I shot Caroline an annoyed look.

"Seriously?"

"As interesting it is for me as your teacher to hear about your guys' private life," Damon's voice broke through the noise from the front of the class, his eyes lingering for a short second on mine before wandering over to the next student. "I would really appreciate it if you would let me start with my lesson. Think you could live with that?"

"No, not really," snickered one of the students in the front row, probably Klaus, and earned some high fives for it. Right, the hero of the hour – who else would it possibly be?

"Well, that's very unfortunate for you then, Mr. Mikaelson," Damon spat out, his jaw clenching as he tried to control himself. "You can gladly go and complain to the director about it while I teach the rest of the class some history. How does that sound?"

I could hear Klaus grumble something to himself before replying in a pissed but respectful voice to Damon.

"I'm good here, Mr. Salvatore, thanks."

"Yeah, I thought so too," he said, turning back to the class. "So anybody care to summarize for all of us what we did last lesson?"

And just like that, another lesson, in which I could barely concentrate, started. Again and again I caught myself staring at him, daydreaming about our kiss in this exact room and about the one that happened between us that night in his car. Sometimes I wondered if he, just like me, imagined what things would be like now if it weren't for him being my teacher and me being his student. If we were simply two people who had met on the street, had spent an amazing evening together and then had parted ways, only to see each other again through some twisted circumstances where he wasn't my teacher. Or would we have met again at all?

I sighed, tapping my pen against my book in rhythm with the slow ticking of the wall clock. And in that moment, I actually thought this lesson would never end.

* * *

"Shopping time!"

Caroline squealed excitedly, tossing her bag into the back of her baby blue VW Beetle before jumping in the driver's seat. Impatiently, she tapped with her fingers on the wheel, humming along to the melody of Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" on the radio. I laughed quietly to myself before climbing into the backseat and trying to make myself comfortable as we both waited for Bonnie to join us.

Since I had most of my lessons together with Caroline, she hadn't once shut up about going to the mall and Stefan's party tomorrow. Most of the time, I had simply sat there, hearing her words but not really listening and nodding my head once in a while to what she was saying. Sometimes it really made me wonder how one single person could be so lively and bubbly – Caroline was one of these people that could affect everyone with their happy mood, she could enter a room filled with depressed people and by the end of the night they would all be laughing along with her. It seemed impossible not to be smiling around her.

"Well, it's about time that you show up!"

"Sorry, sorry," Bonnie held her hands up in surrender as she climbed into the passenger seat. "I got held up in Biology."

"Well whoever or whatever held you up doesn't matter because you're here now," Caroline's face lit up, her hands fumbling excitedly with the wheel. "And we can finally go shopping!"

"Of course," Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Let's go then!"

"Is she always like this when it comes down to go shopping?"

Bonnie turned her head around to look at me, laughing. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet Elena."

"I'm not that bad," Caroline pouted.

"Yes," Bonnie said seriously. "Yes, you are, Caroline."

"No, I'm not!" she protested, driving her car out of the parking lot of the school.

Bonnie let out a hard laugh, her eyes blinking up in amusement. "Really, Care? Do I really have to remind you of that one time where you were so excited that you crashed your beloved car into some old lady's because you couldn't stop babbling and didn't pay attention to where you were driving?" Caroline's face went red in embarrassment while Bonnie and I both were shaking with laughter. "Or that-that one time where you nearly bought the whole mall and then came home to an angry mum because her credit card didn't seem to work at the grocery store anymore because the limit for the month was already reached?"

"Wait, wait," I laughed. "You actually reached the credit limit? What did your mum say?"

"Yeah," Caroline muttered. "I was grounded for a whole month. No need to remind me of that, Bon. It was a horrid thing for her to do."

"You spent all her money on clothes!" Bonnie laughed.

"But she didn't have to ground me for it," she groaned. "I missed out on some amazing parties! She basically destroyed my social life!"

I snickered quietly, watching both of my new friends arguing with each other. Being around Caroline and Bonnie felt so easy to me. I could laugh and smile, be free and all of my problems would be forgotten. Even just for a while. I never really had any girlfriends before, sure, there had been a few girls at the orphanage in Richmond that I had talked to and had been polite with, but my only real friend had always been Elijah. No one else. It had always been him and me against the world. And even though he was a guy, I still could talk to him about everything. There were no limits set; he even went shopping with me whenever I wanted him to.

Elijah would always stay my best friend, even if distance separated us, but this – having Caroline and Bonnie, just once being a real girl that goes shopping with her girlfriends - it felt good and refreshing. It wasn't something I had ever done before, but I certainly looked forward it.

"We're here!" Caroline exclaimed as the small – and with small, I meant tiny - mall of Mystic Falls came into sight.

Bonnie and I both looked at each other and then over to Caroline, who looked like a little girl on Christmas Eve as she took in the sight of the mall. We all burst out laughing, covering our mouths with our hands and holding our stomachs to stop them from exploding.

"Let the fun times begin!"

…

After running for three hours around the mall, visiting every shop at least five times and buying tons of dresses and shirts, we plopped down, completely exhausted on three chairs in a small café and ordered ourselves three milkshakes.

"I didn't know shopping could be this exhausting," I sighed.

"Then you've clearly never been shopping with Caroline before," Bonnie chuckled, earning a smack on the arm from said blonde girl, her expression changing to one of pure shock. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Well, you deserved it."

"Oh come on, Caroline, you know I was only joking."

"I know," Caroline grinned. "I just needed a reason to smack you. You should have seen your face. It was priceless!"

At that, I let out a loud and carefree laugh, my ears watering with tears. Not much later, they both joined in and laughed along with me, clutching their stomachs. It was moments like these that I had learned to cherish most in the past two weeks, where there wasn't much said but yet we still were having a great time.

"Na na na, look who we have here," a high pitched voice stopped our laughter, making us look up to her. "Blondie, Witchy and the new girl. A new found friendship."

"And the slut who doesn't love anyone but herself," Caroline snapped back.

"Ouch!" Katherine mocked, making her puppies behind her laugh. "Now I'm hurt, Caroline."

"What do you want, Katherine?" Bonnie replied, a bored tone lying in her voice.

"Oh nothing. Just wanted to come over and say hi, you know," she purred. "Isn't that right, girls?"

"Yes," Rebekah and Andie smiled sweetly.

I rolled my eyes. "Well now that you did that, you can go again. Thanks."

Rebekah and Andie gasped while I could hear Caroline and Bonnie snickering beside m,e but I didn't look over to them, my gaze was fixed on Katherine who definitely looked taken back by my words. I guessed there weren't a lot of people who stood up to her, especially not the new kids at Mystic Falls High. I shrugged, I had never really been one to keep my opinion to myself and honestly? Katherine was mountainously getting on my nerves.

Katherine's jaw clenched.

"If I were you, I would be careful about what I say to me."

"Why, my highness? Did I say something wrong?"

She groaned something to herself before turning around to the two silent girls who were standing in her shadows.

"Girls, we're going."

"Oh and new girl," she shot me a last look, grinning. "From now on, you should better watch your back."

"Thanks for the advice, Katherine," I smiled sweetly at her.

…

After saying my goodbyes to both Caroline and Bonnie, I quietly walked home; my bag slumped over my shoulder and a shopping bag in my hand, headphones in my ears, and the rest of the world non-existent to me. It was like a ritual for me. I never walked anywhere without listening to my music. Be it some sad ballade, a love song, Hip Hop or old Rock music. Any music that made me dive into another world, forget the life that I was living for a second and just enjoy it for three minutes, made it easier for me.

Every song tells a story, and every story in the world is worth hearing. No matter if it is one of tragedy, loss and sadness, one of love, butterflies and the perfect summer, one about having the best of friends – everybody has a story, including me. But that wasn't one I ever talked about, nobody knew about my past. About him, and what he had done to me. Not even Elijah. It was my own secret. One that I prayed nobody would ever find out.

I shook my head in disgust, not wanting to think about that at the time. Pushing every thought about it back where it belonged and where it was supposed to stay – in the past.

Within minutes, I reached my house and quickly disappeared into it, escaping the cold to stop my whole body from shuddering.

"Elena? Is that you?" Grayson's voice came from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I just got home," I called back, taking off my jacket and placing it in the wardrobe in the hallway.

Before I realized what was happening, Grayson stormed out of the kitchen, a relieved expression on his face, and pulled me into a hug, squishing my body against his. A certain warmth spread through my body as I let myself relax against the embrace of my father and slid my arms around him, patting his back softly. Even though I had absolutely no idea what was wrong and why he was suddenly hugging me, something about it felt right. He was my dad, after all…

"Thank God," he breathed out, examining my face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah-yeah, why shouldn't I be? I don't understand…" I asked, confused and slightly lost, quickly freeing myself out of his embrace. "What's going on, Grayson?"

"Where have you been all afternoon?" He took a step back, his hands crossed before his chest, a hard expression now replacing the relieved one from seconds ago. "I was worried sick and you didn't answer your phone! What were you thinking?"

I frowned. "I was at the mall with Caroline and Bonnie, I didn't think it-"

"That's right, Elena!" He exclaimed. "You didn't think! You simply didn't think. One call, one simple call was needed to let me know where you were," he ran his fingers through his hair, a tired sigh escaping his lips. "Can't you see that I'm trying here?"

"I'm- I'm sorry," I stammered. "I didn't think it would matter."

"Of course it matters! I'm your father and I need you to tell me where you are," his expression softened. "I need to know that you're okay. Can you understand that?"

I looked at him with wide eyes, taken back by his words as I tried to understand them. He had been worried about me just because I hadn't told him that I would go out after school. He had tried to call me, to find me, only to make sure I was okay. No one had ever done that for me before, no one had ever really cared if I made it home safely or if I came home at all. This - Grayson, my dad - was something that I never thought I would have. I could see everyone around me having a dad; being a part of a family, but over the years the thought of me having something like that grew nearly impossible. And yet, here I was.

Most people would probably find it annoying if their dads shouted at them to find out where they were and what they did, but for me, it was everything I had ever wished for. Someone who cared enough to yell at me when I did something wrong, to be angry about things I did and didn't do, someone who was proud of me when I did good at school. And someone who was relieved and happy to see that I was alive.

"Yeah, I just-I," I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing. "This is new for me too, you know… I never had to tell anyone where I was."

"But the people in foster care-"

"They didn't care where we were or what we did. As long as we were present for dinner in the evening," I shrugged.

"Look, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry," Grayson scratched the back of his head. "It's just when you weren't at home when I came over from the garage, I…"

"I know," I replied softly.

"Just-Just don't do it again, okay?" He said, a worried and honest undertone lying in his voice. "You have my phone number, just call or text to tell me you're okay."

"I will, I promise," I smiled at him and I meant it.

I couldn't help the warm feeling that wrapped itself around my heart as I thought about what had just happened between my father and I. For the first time in two weeks, I didn't mind to let myself slowly get closer to him, because if I admitted it or not, this place, the people here, Grayson – they were all starting to grow on me. And the longer I would stay, the harder it would get to ever leave again.

"Grayson?" He lifted his head to look at me, sending me a questioning gaze. "There is this party tomorrow at Stefan Salvatore's house. Would it be okay if I went? You don't need to drive me, or anything. A friend is going to pick-"

He cut me off, smiling. "Of course you can go."

"Okay, thank you."

I smiled lightly at him before taking my bags and turning around towards the stairs.

"Hey, Elena?"

I turned back around to him. "Yeah?"

"I'm about to cook dinner," his eyes filled with hope as he looked at me. "You wanna help?"

"Sure, I would love to," I said in a quiet voice, smiling, before motioning to the stairs. "I'm just gonna go-"

"Yes, of course. I will wait in the kitchen for you."

Silently nodding my head, I turned away from him once again and made my way up the stairs, a small smile playing on my lips the whole time. All these weeks, I had been so determined to not get attached to him, to avoid him as best as possible, but not once had I considered how good it would feel to actually let him in. I knew that maybe this wouldn't last forever, and yeah maybe, it was even gone before I could actually realize it, but right now, Grayson was here and he wanted to get to know me. He wanted to be the father he hadn't been the last seventeen years of my life, he wanted to make up for all the lost time and to be there for me when I needed him.

He and I both knew from the beginning that we wouldn't immediately form this great bond that people would talk about even years after we had died. We knew that we probably wouldn't get along most of the time and that I would shut him out despite all of his efforts to finally let him in. We both knew that it wouldn't be easy, but moments like this one, so small and simple that most people wouldn't even react to them, reminded me that it wasn't impossible to manage. That maybe we would get through everything in the end, because we were a family.

Baby steps, I reminded myself. Baby steps.

* * *

Wrapping a towel around myself, I stepped out of the shower and toddled into my bedroom, which looked like a complete mess by now. After I had woken up at one o'clock this afternoon, I had spent four hours debating whether or not to go to tonight's party. Which then ended up in me rummaging through my wardrobe and tossing one piece of clothing out after another until there was no more left. I still wasn't sure if I should actually go, but I knew Caroline would be furious if I didn't. How did I know? Well, I guessed the five text messages, all saying "You better show up tonight or I will smack you," had made that pretty obvious.

So there I was, getting ready for some stupid party just in order to not get killed by my new friend. I honestly would have preferred to simply have a night in with a good book and some hot chocolate, but I knew that at some point in my life here in Mystic Falls, parties were a must. Especially if you were friends with Caroline Forbes, parties were a part of growing up.

Slowly, I let the white towel fall to the ground. Slipping into my pitch black, lace underwear that I had bought together with the silk velvet dress and some black high heels at the mall yesterday, I actually felt quite good. Both of which Caroline and Bonnie had said I looked gorgeous in and that I should definitely wear it to the party. I had never really been the type of girl to wear a dress and high heels. Be it to a party or not, I just felt far more comfortable in my skinny jeans and chucks, but knowing exactly that there was no point in arguing with them, I had bought it all in the end.

Before I could slip into my new found dress though, my phone started to ring.

"Hello?" I hastily picked up.

_"Elena?"_ the voice from the other side of the line greeted me._ "It's Matt."_

"Oh, hey Matt," I smiled.

_"I just… uhm… wanted to tell you that I will be at your place at seven o'clock tonight," _he said, before adding._ "If that works for you, of course."_

"Yeah sure. You have my address?" I asked, sitting down on my bed.

He let out a small chuckle._ "Yep, everything saved in my head for tonight."_

"Good then," I grinned. "And Matt?"

_"Huh?"_

"Good luck at the game!" I encouraged him cheerily. "Kick the other team's asses, yeah?"

_"Thanks Elena, I will keep that in mind," _he let out a laugh_. "See you later!"_

"Yeah, bye."

I hung up and placed the phone down beside me, eyeing myself in the mirror that was standing across from my bed. I smiled lightly, getting up on my feet again and slipping into the dress. Let's get this over and done with was the only thing rushing through my mind.

…

"Grayson?" I popped my head into the living room.

He lifted his head, smiling at me. "What is it?"

"Matt is gonna be here any second, so I just wanted to tell you that I'm gonna leave now," I explained to him.

"That's fine," he nodded. " Have fun, but please, not too much fun."

I frowned in confusion, shaking my head. "Grayson, I…"

His face suddenly turned red from embarrassment. "No! That-that is not what I meant, I mean don't… erm… drink too much," he exclaimed, panic raising in his voice as he waved nervously with his hands. "But don't do, you know wh-what either. Oh god."

"Don't worry about me," I chuckled softly. "I'm gonna be fine. It's fine."

"Ye-yeah?" He looked up to me, taking his head out of his hands, a relieved expression on his face. "Oh good. I really didn't want to talk to you about you kn-know what."

"I think we're on the same side there," I reassured him. "Really."

Grayson nodded absently, his mind probably still trying to understand what had just happened. "Good, that's good."

I shook my head in amusement at his nervous behaviour; one could clearly see that he had never done this before – letting his teenage daughter go out on a party, but still making sure that she didn't do anything stupid. They say that in every family, every father struggled with letting their teenage daughter go to their first party or their first date after watching them grow up for sixteen years, but of course, this wasn't one of these normal families that one imagined to have as a kid. It was messed up and not easy at all, but some things always remained the same, like the way a father cared about his daughter. His little angel.

And even though I had only lived with Grayson for two weeks now, I knew that he cared for me as much as a father that had known his daughter her whole life. He was already protective over me, didn't want anything to happen to me while I was out. And that was more than someone like me could have ever imagined for herself.

I smiled lightly to myself as I took my old leather jacket from the wardrobe – Grayson had suggested buying me a new one, seeing as this one looked old and used, but together with this jacket came a lot of memories. Memories of Elijah and me, memories that I didn't want to forget.

"Oh that should be Matt," I said as the doorbell rang, exchanging a look between Grayson and the door. "Don't wait up for me, ok? I don't know how late it's gonna be."

He nodded, but called me back never the less. "And Elena?"

"Huh?" I questioned, slipping my arms into my jacket.

Grayson smiled softly at me. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you," I whispered, taken back by his words.

I looked down at him, a small smile playing on my lips. He would never be able to imagine how much that meant to me – isn't that what every girl dreams of? For her dad to take her in his arms and tell her that she's the most beautiful girl in the world to him. That nobody will ever take her place.

"Don't thank me," he laughed. "Now go, don't want to let that poor boy wait, now do we?"

I held my hands up in surrender. "Hey, I'm going. Don't worry; you will have the house to yourself in a few."

Shooting him a last smile, happy about the change that our relationship had gone through since yesterday, I made my way over to the door and opened it, only to reveal the blonde haired guy with a big smile on his face, his hands in his pockets.

"Hi," I greeted him. "How was the game?"

Matt's face immediately lit up. "We won! 60 to 28!"

"That's amazing!" I said, hugging him. "Congrats, Matt!"

"Thanks," his cheeks reddened lightly as he let go of me, scratching the back of his neck with his hand. "Ready to go?"

"As ready as I will ever be."

"Well then, we better go."

…

The drive to the Salvatore boarding house lasted about ten minutes in which neither us really talked, both just enjoying the silence of this night before we would be thrown into the lion's den.

There was a time in my life when drinking at some random party was the highlight of my day, my week, my month even. I would go out every night, get lost in the alcohol because I needed to forget. Because it simply hurt too much to remember - the pain that would shoot through my head, the muffled screams and his touch on my body, one that I would never be able to forget again and his face that was burnt into my mind down to the slightest detail. Remembering, that was the worst part of it all. Even months after it had happened, I relived it time and time again, his face haunting me like the darkest of demons.

I was at a real low point back then, I probably still would be if it weren't for Elijah, and ever since then, I had sworn off the alcohol. He wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth destroying my whole life over him. Not anymore.

"Wow," I breathed out, taking in the mansion before me as we drove into the gateway of Stefan's home.

I had never seen a house like the Salvatore Boarding house in my life before. It had this old fashioned Moroccan style, made out of bricks and wood. It looked like it had a lot of history behind it already, like it had to tell a story that was deeply buried on the inside. There was just something so beautiful and fascinating about it.

Matt chuckled, noticing the astonished look on my face. "Yeah, it's a pretty outstanding view if you ask me."

"It's… wow," I looked over at him.

"I think you said that already," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I didn't know Stefan had so much money to be able to afford something like this."

"Oh, he doesn't," Matt let out a small laugh, coming to a halt after finding a good spot for his truck. "He and Damon inherited it from their grams a few years back. So they moved to Mystic Falls and ever since then, they've lived here."

"What about their parents?"

I had no idea why I felt the urge need to ask him about Stefan's parents, but getting to know more about Stefan meant automatically getting to know more about Damon. And that was something, no matter how wrong it might have been, that had woken my curiosity from the start. Who was Damon Salvatore, the mystery man and history teacher, really?

Matt shrugged. "Stefan never talks about them; the only family we know is Damon or Mr. Salvatore as you might know him."

I gulped. "Yeah…"

It felt weird knowing that every one of them called Damon by his first name, while I couldn't. For them and everyone else in this town, I had first seen Damon that day in class. Not before. For them, that one night where he had driven me home had never happened. And for right now, it seemed like for him it hadn't either. He was nothing more than my history teacher. Mr. Salvatore.

"Shall we go in?" I nodded, shooting him a smile. "Okay, stay in your seat. Don't move."

"What, why?" I ask him, clearly confused as I watched him climb out of his truck. "Matt, what are you doing?"

But instead of answering my question, he only shook his head laughing as he made his way over to my side of the truck.

"My Lady…" He grinned, holding the door of his car open for me.

I giggled lightly; taking the hand he was offering me.

"Oh, aren't you a gentleman?"

"Always to your service, madam," he winked, helping me out.

Smacking his arm, I let out a hard laugh. "Let's go inside, you idiot."

He shook his head laughing, offering me his arm. I smiled gently at him and took it as we started walking towards the front door of the mansion, a certain blue eyed stranger always in the back of my mind.

"Elena, Matt – you're finally here!" Caroline screeched into our ears, slumping her arms around us the second she had reached us at the door. "It's about time!"

"Woah, Caroline," I laughed, putting my arms around her to steady her as she stumbled back.

"Are you drunk already?" Matt questioned her.

"No, no, no, no, no!" She cried out, way too loudly, before covering her mouth in shock, giggling like a five year old. "Whoopsy Daisy."

"Seriously?" I arched my eyebrows together.

"Okay, maybe a little tiny bit," she whispered quite loudly, slurring as she put two fingers over another to show as just how much she had drunk. "But just a little, you see."

"Oh I see," I laughed, trying to steady her. "Now that makes a big difference."

Caroline's face broke into a big grin as she jumped up excitedly. "Right!"

"Care, where are the rest of the guys?" Matt asked, looking around and clearly amused by the fact that she was beyond drunk already.

"Uhm… Right over," she slurred, letting her gaze wander over the crowd of people before pointing out some random strangers. "There! No, wait…"

"It's okay. I saw them," Matt shook his head laughing. "Leave it to you to get drunk before nine o'clock."

"I am not drunk!" She exclaimed only to fall on her butt five seconds later, her big grin forming into a pout.

"What were you saying again?" I chuckled.

"Oh shut up," she groaned, holding her arms above her head. "And help me up already."

"Come on, Care," Matt lifted her up easily from the ground, letting her stand against him to steady herself. "Let's go over to Tyler and Stefan."

"Ugh fine," she mumbled into his chest.

Trying to steady Caroline the best we could, we made our way through the amount of people that had found themselves in the living room of the Boarding house. If I counted, I was sure there would have at least been two hundred people – where did they come from anyway? I sighed; I really had lost the entire party girl that I had once been. This had never been about fun to me; it had always been about trying to forget. But I knew now that forgetting might have seemed like the obvious answer to all my problems, but the truth was that it was impossible. One could never really forget their past, no matter how hard one tried.

Someday, one had just to accept it and try to live life as good as possible.

"Elena," Stefan smiled. "I'm glad you could make it! And I see you both have already found Caroline."

"Hey guys," I greeted them, my gaze wandering over to the drunk blonde in Matt's arms. "Or better, she found us."

Tyler let out a hard laugh. "Yep, sounds like Caroline."

"Come on, Care," Stefan smiled gently, taking her over in his arms from Matt. "Let's lie you down for a while."

"No!" She exclaimed, lifting a hand up to her head. "Ouch… Head… hurts…"

"I will help you, Stef," Matt rolled his eyes. "Come on, Caroline."

I laughed quietly, watching Stefan and Matt as they struggled to support Caroline all the way over the couch. It was honestly hilarious to watch.

"You would think Caroline could handle a drink or two after all these house parties she's been to," Tyler laughed, turning my attention back to him.

"Well, at least she's a happy drunk," I replied, laughing.

"Oh god, don't remind me," he shook his head. "It's like everything is rainbows and unicorns when she's drunk. She giggles at everything and everyone."

"But hey, I heard about your victory today," I said cheerily. "Congrats!"

"Well thank you, Elena," Tyler smirked. "Did you ever doubt that we would?"

"I have to say there were a few moments…" I teased, pretending to be deep in thought.

"Elena…"

"I'm kidding!" I grinned. "I'm sure you were brilliant."

"Of course we were," Tyler replied in a duh-tone.

"Of course," I laughed quietly to myself.

…

The party had been going on for two hours now and by now, everyone around me was drunk. While most of the people had the decency to at least dance on the dance floor that was situated in the middle of the living room, there were also the ones – like Katherine – that were over the edge by now and decided to let out their inner sluts while dancing on the kitchen table. Half naked, of course. Then there were the ones who were lying unconscious on the floor and then the couples that were so drunk by now that they didn't care if somebody watched them while they were making out in a corner of the house.

And then there was me, probably the only person in this house who hadn't drunk a single drop of alcohol in the past three hours. There were a lot of people who had offered some to me, some basically tried to force it on me, but I remained strong – I wouldn't go there. Not ever again.

When you once were at your lowest, you didn't ever want to return to being that person. Sure, there were moments when you simply thought, "Fuck it!" and wanted to return to your old habits, but then you remembered what it did to you the first time. And what it would probably do to you again in the future. Every time I was tempted to go out and get drunk, to be my old self again, I would think of Elijah and how he had fought for me back then. How he never gave up on me, saved me time after time. He was the reason I was still alive and I promised myself that I would never make him regret that, that I would make it up to him every day of my life.

I sighed; getting up from the chair I had been sitting on the past half hour after Tyler had taken off with some girl and left me alone. I tried my best to push myself through the crowd. Tripping over an unconscious body here and there, or a giggling girl that had just landed on her butt, and sought escape behind the nearest door I could find. Breathless, I let myself fall with my back against the door, my eyes closed as I recovered from the suffocating atmosphere out there.

God, how I hated parties like this one, I thought to myself.

Slowly, opening my eyes again, I took in the room before me. There were books everywhere, on the walls, on the shelves, even on the tables and chairs, everywhere. I smiled lightly as I pushed myself away from the door, taking in the breath-taking insides of this home library and stroking the cover of the books with my fingertips while passing them. I had never seen so many books in one single room. It nearly felt like a dream, one from which I definitely didn't want to wake up from.

I carefully picked up a book from the floor, my eyes lingering over the title - _Gone With The Wind. _I smiled a little, recognizing one of my favourite books since I could remember. It was one of the most beautiful books of all times, the greatest love story in history, one that could make you believe that in the end, love was stronger than everything.

"What exactly do you think you're doing in here?"

Panic washing over me I whirled around, the book falling out of my hand and onto the carpet, babbling and trying to keep my gaze on the ground in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm-I'm sorry I didn't want to snoop around or anything. I just needed some fr-fresh air and-"

"Elena?" His velvety voice sounded clearer now. "What are you doing here?"

I looked up at him, the world freezing in its spot as my eyes lock with his.

* * *

_And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,_  
_Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,_  
_Every change, life has thrown me,_  
_I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,_  
_I'm grateful, for every scar,_  
_Some pages turned,_  
_Some bridges burned,_  
_But there were lessons learned._

* * *

**_A/N: No, your eyes aren't playing any tricks on you. This is really an update! I want to apologize for the long wait, lately things were a bit complicated and school started again, so my time was limited. A big thanks goes as always to my BETA and friend Molly (EverythingBasedOnLove), I would honestly be lost without her. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!_**

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**_Twitter: PureHeaart_**

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**Reviews are love!**


	8. I Wouldn't Mind

**I don't own anything, all rights belong to CW. Only the storyline and additional characters are mine.**

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**CHAPTER 7**

**_I Wouldn't Mind_**

* * *

_Carefully we'll place for our destiny. _  
_You came and you took this heart, _  
_And set it free. _  
_Every word you write and sing is so warm to me, _  
_So warm to me. _  
_I'm torn, I'm torn. _  
_To be right where you are._

* * *

**DPOV**

I stared at the petite girl standing before me, my eyebrows furrowed. Images of her body on mine - which I tried to ignore the best that I could -flooding back to me as I focused my gaze on her, my grip tightening around the glass of Bourbon that I was holding. My eyes wandered up and down her body, remembering her graceful legs around my waist, and her soft hands roaming through my black hair. And never would I forget the feeling that had emerged in my stomach as her wet lips had hungrily met mine.

It would haunt me and plague my dream, her unforgettable taste. It forced me to rock bottom as she had me down on my knees, begging her to let me sense that feeling just one more time. Every night I would bolt up in my bed, the features of her face whirling through my head, her beautiful laugh ringing in my ears as she sat in the back of my class, listening to my words, so interested in what I had to say. She looked so innocent, but I knew that there was much more to the young girl than everyone thought. She was many things; from passionate to smart, friendly to strong-minded, and at the same time, there was so much thatI still didn't know about her. Things that I would have liked to find out.

Thinking about her like that was wrong in so many ways, and yet nothing in my life had ever felt so right to me before.

There was just something about Elena Gilbert that had gotten under my skin. I didn't know when it happened or if it had just been like this from the moment that I had first laid my eyes on her at the Mystic Grill that night, but somehow this girl had managed to do something that many other women tried before her. She had managed to do what many other women had failed to ever do. She had captured me in her spell, my body craving for the presence of hers, her delicate touch still burning against my skin. This young girl had me begging at her knees, watching her every move and yet she wasn't even aware of it.

I bet she was thinking that I had been avoiding her for the past two weeks because we couldn't be together or because I was ashamed of what had happened between the two of us, but that wasn't the case. It was because I was her teacher and to me, it was far from being a mistake. It was so much more. Maybe even more than I would ever even admit to myself.

"Elena?" I finally choked out after staring at her for minutes, gulping. "What are you doing here?"

She lifted her gaze, her eyes holding mine in an intense glare as I took a few steps towards her, placing the glass of Bourbon on a table beside me. It was like an invisible magnet was pulling us together.

"Stef-Stefan's party," she stuttered. "I-I just needed some air a-and this-"

I tilted my head to the side inconfusion. "Stefan? You're friends with my brother?"

"Caroline introduced us on the first day of school," she nodded, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Right, Barbie," I recall in my head, remembering how Elena was always around the blonde at school whenever they weren't in class. Not that I was watching her whenever I saw her around. "I forgot that you were friends with the girl that my brother has been drooling over for months now."

Her eyebrows shot up in question. "Stefan has a thing for Caroline?"

"Yeah," I laughed. "Why so interested?"

"Oh nothing," she shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. "Just already had a suspicion about that."

"I guess it's kinda hard to miss with how much of a love sick puppy my brother is," I laughed quietly to myself, thinking about all the times that I had seen him around school, hanging on her every word and finding the time to nod in between her ramblings.

A small chuckle escaped Elena's lips, her silk brown hair vibrating lightly as her eyes sparkled. I couldn't bear to tear my eyes away from her appearance - how that purple dress hugged her body perfectly and how her black heels emphasized her long, sleek legs. I noticed how she nervously started biting her lips, rubbing her hand along her right arm as she looked around, completely unaware of the fact that Iwanted her more than ever in that exact moment.

"So," I grin. "That still doesn't explain why you're here. In the library."

"I – uhm - I needed to get away from the party. SoI sea-searched for an empty room and," she took a deep breath before continuing. "And I ended up here. All these books and-"

"Now now, Elena, has nobody ever told you that you shouldn't snoop around in other people's stuff?"

"Obviously as often as people told you that it's not okay to make out with your student," she scoffed, turning our rather playful conversation into a serious one. "Looks like we both missed out on something very important." .

I frowned, holding my hands up in defence. "Elena… You know I never-"

"No," she shook her head furiously, running a hand through her chocolate brown hair. "Just forget it, okay? I shouldn't have said anything. I-I didn't mean it."

"I think you did," I gave her a sad smile.

"Well you're wrong. You're the teacher. I'm the student. And that's all we're ever going to be, right?" she looked at me expectedly, the hurt showing clearly in her eyes, no matter how much she tried to hide it. "Everything that has happened between the two of us lies in the past. It was a simple mistake. One that won't happen again…ever."

"Is that really what you think? Is that your honest opinion?" I asked with my head tilted to the side as I slowly walked over to her, my eyes locked with hers.

"Isn't it what you want me to say? You and I never happened, isn't that what you wanted?"

"I want you to tell me how you feel about this, Elena. How you feel about me. The truth and nothing but the truth," I insisted.

"You want to know the truth? Why now? Why not two weeks ago when we were standing in your classroom and you kissed me? Why not back then? What made that so different from now?" she breathed out in anger, thick tears welling up in her eyes. "What changed your mind?"

"I-I... Elena, please-"

"No," she put her hand between us, showing that she clearly didn't want me near her in that very moment. "You want me to be honest with you? Then please do me a favour and be honest with me, too. Why now?"

And that was the million dollar question. There were many possible answers; things that I could have told her right then and there, but none of them would have been the truth. I could have easily told her a lie. That none of it mattered, that I just wanted to finally have this over and done with, but somehow, every lie in the world wouldn't have outweighed the truth. I didn't want things to be over between us, I didn't want Elena out of my life. If anything, I wanted to keep her there as long as I possibly could. I don't know why, but I did.

It was one of these moments in life; one that I knew would change everything. Either for the best, or for the worst. And it all depended on what I was about to say.

"I don't know, okay?" I exclaimed, gazing into her eyes. "Do you think I want to feel this way? Do you think I wanted any of this? Cause I didn't. I don't. I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant to feel all these- these unexplainable things for you."

Elena shot me a doubtful look. Her puffy, red eyes were trying to read into my words, into the meaning behind our whole conversation.

"And no matter what I do," I shrugged, "they just don't seem to want to go away! And I hate it! I hate how I can't be honest with you about how I feel because you and I, we will never be able to be together, but I have to accept it, Elena, and so do you," I shook my head, my own words getting to me and leaving a battle scar in my heart. "You and I? It's not gonna happen. Not in this lifetime."

"So now I'm the one who has to accept it? Now it's my fault?"

"I never said-"

"No, I'm done listening to you, Damon. You want me to be honest with you? Fine, I'll be honest with you," she basically screamed at my face, the music of my little brother's party fading into the background.

"Have you even thought for just one second about how I must be feeling? How I am coping with all of this? I'm the new girl. People are already judging me enough as it is. And I thought it was different this time. I thought that people were finally accepting me, but then I go around and make out with my teacher! It was never a part of my bucket list to fall in love with you. I was never supposed to miss you this much when you aren't there," silent tears were running down her cheeks as she kept speaking, her voice strong and confident, and yet so vulnerable.

"This certainly wasn't a part of my plan! And I'm sure it wasn't yours either, but hell, apparently someone bigger and far more powerful than us wanted this to happen! You may want to forget that we ever happened, but I can't Damon. That's what hurts," she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I can't. As much as I want to, you're stuck in my head and I can't seem to get away from you anymore."

Inhaling her words, I knew that she was right. This wasn't her fault. It was mine. The pain that she held inside of her, the ache that had taken over her body and left me in control, I had used it. Not once while making my decision had I thought about the girl before me. Keeping my job and myself safe had been my first priority. It was what I had been taught by my father. Love, friendship, family, it was all supposed to mean nothing without money in your pocket.

And yet, despite of everything that I had learned as a kid, looking at her now, I realised that I had been wrong to stay away from her those two long weeks.

Perhaps it was the vulnerability that was hidden in her eyes as she looked at me, or maybe it was the strong desire that I felt to take her into my arms and never let her go again. Maybe it was just the simple knowledge that I had been in her thoughts as often as she had been in mine. I didn't know exactly what it was, or maybe I just didn't realise it yet, but all I knew was that I never wanted to be apart from the breath-taking girl before me ever again.

Reciting her speech in my mind, a few of her words echoed over and over in my ears as I stared wide-eyed at her

"You-you're in love with me?"

"What?" Her eyes shot up to mine in surprise. "No, of course not."

"But you said-"

"No I didn't," she denied it quickly, avoiding my gaze. "I'm not in love with you, Damon."

As I looked at her blush-covered cheeks and her dried tears that had stopped flowing, I knew that I couldn't let this girl go again. Everything might have been against us; the rules of the universe and the people around us would never be able to accept our relationship nor us, but some magical power in this world had wanted us to meet.

Call it fate or just pure coincidence. I didn't care. All I knew was that I had to have her no matter what, because to me, nothing had ever felt this right before.

I rested my forehead against hers, stroking her cheek lightly with the pad of my thumb.

"Never mind. I must have heard wrong."

"You must have," she breathed out, her voice barely a whisper as she laid her hand upon mine.

"And don't you ever think that these past two weeks weren't hard for me, too," I murmured softly as I held her in my arms. "Because having to stay away from you, not being able to talk to you, to kiss you," I gently kissed the tip of her nose. "Hell, it's been one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my entire life."

My eyes melted into hers as I carefully wiped her tears away. My breathing quickened, my heartbeat raced and thumped against my chest. There were so many things that I wanted to say to her, explain to her, but none would leave my mouth. We just stood there, letting the silence come upon us, consuming our every breath. Neither of us dared to break it, our hands entwined against her beautiful face.

In that moment, we were one.

She was mine and I was hers. We were Damon and Elena. Elena and Damon. We were just two people who had found each other at the wrong time, at the wrong place. We were two people that were tired of having to let go and simply wanted to hold on for a while.

Our previous conversation had been forgotten, yet the words were still echoing in our minds as we stared at each other in awe. Nothing else mattered but the two of us, standing in the middle of the library, motionless. Time had frozen and the world had stopped spinning around was still, just the sound of our hearts beating in union being heard.

I glanced down at her wet lips, the desire to touch her rising in me with every second that passed. I was hypnotized by her mesmerizing eyes that were holding me in her spell, her long brown hair that was falling lightly over her shoulder, tickling my arms as I moved closer to her.

"Damon…," she mumbled as her eyes closed. "Maybe we shouldn't…"

"I know," I sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "But I can't…"

Before I knew what was happening, Elena let her lips collide with mine in a bittersweet kiss. It didn't last long, only a few seconds, but I knew that in that moment we both had made our decision. It hadn't been an easy one, on either of us, but it was as if we both didn't have a choice. From the beginning, this was meant to have happened. We couldn't stay away from each other long enough without feeling we were dying inside. We sought each other's presence out like Romeo sought the presence of his Juliet and like Tristan sought the closeness of his Isolde.

Staying away from each other just wasn't possible. It wasn't in our nature. We were like magnets, one pulling for the other till they met as one.

"This isn't right, 'Lena," I groaned.

She tilted her head to the side, smiling lightly. "But why does it feel like it is then?"

Without another word being exchanged, I took her hand in mine and lead her to the couch in the middle of the library. We sat down next to each other, our hands joined, Elena's head lying on my broad chest.

We both knew that this – we – could never work out and yet, we would prefer having a few weeks of love and happiness together than none at all .My head was telling me to run, to never look back and not think twice about this girl ever again, the ache in my heart would eventually go away. But my heart was yelling, screaming at me to stay, to hold on to the girl in my arms for as long as I could.

As the adult in this relationship, I should have been the responsible one and told her that we shouldn't be together, that it was just too wrong in too many ways. And hell, God knows that I had tried, but had failed miserably in the end.

Maybe now was the time to give into my heart, to take a risk and just fall. Sometimes the best of things start with a fall. People just have to take all their courage together, close their eyes and just jump. And Elena, she seemed to be worth the risk.

"This will never work out, you know," she said quietly, her brown doe eyes looking up at me.

"I know," I whispered. "I know."

* * *

"Please tell me you're kidding," Elena let out a wholehearted laugh, clutching her stomach in order to breathe. "You didn't actually do that, did you?"

I nodded my head in laughter. "You should have seen Stefan's face. I don't think he has forgiven me for that incident still."

"Who would? You humiliated him in front of the girl he had a crush on," she curled up on the couch, bursting into a sea of giggles and laughter. "That poor guy never got a chance to explain himself to her."

"That poor guy was eight years old and his crush was his third grade teacher, and it was the last day of school!"

"But-but," Elena panted in laughter. "You-you drew a penis on his face!"

"In my defense," I sighed, still chuckling. "I was a fifteen year old, hormonal, teenage boy who got cockblocked by his little brother and wanted revenge! He deserved it!"

"He was eight, Damon!" She exclaimed.

I shrugged. "And I was fifteen. I don't really see your point."

Falling back into the couch, she shook her head in amusement. "You're impossible, Salvatore."

"Oh, Salvatore?" I cocked my eyebrow at her. "Are we addressing each other with our last names now? Okay then, Gilbert."

A loud snort mixed in with laughter escaped Elena lips as she lay down on the couch, watching me with an intense stare. Her brown doe eyes melted into mine, her lips curled up in an evil smile. What was she planning? I grew more curious as the seconds passed, her gaze still lingering on my face.

"I know that I'm handsome, but your staring is starting to really creep me out, princess," I grinned at her.

She propped up on her elbows, her eyes gleaming. "Is the mighty Damon Salvatore getting scared of someone like me?"

"Do I look scared to you?" I asked, subtly moving closer to her.

"Hhm, I'm not sure," she teased. "How about you come a little closer for me to see better?"

"Your wish is my command, my lady," I grinned.

Elena giggled as I leaned over her, my legs on both sides of her feminine body. Positioning my arms on either side of her head, I looked down at her, my eyes burning into hers. I grinned widely, my hot breath on her face as I leaned towards her.

"Better like this?" I asked her in a low and husky voice.

Before I knew what was coming at me, I felt something soft getting smashed across my face. Elena's girly chuckle could be heard in the background as she put the pillow back in its rightful place.

"Much better."

I chuckled quietly, shooting up on the couch and rubbing my head. "What was that for?"

She grinned goofily. "I don't know, I just felt like-"

A painful groan escaped her lips all of a sudden. Her eyes pressed together as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Her hands flew to her head, her lips chanting the words "No, no" over and over again. I watched her helplessly, her body bending in pain and more tears spilling down her cheeks.

What was happening? Thousands of thoughts rushed through my mind, the panic slowly setting in as Elena kept groaning in pain. I put my arms around her, trying to soothe her, but nothing seemed to help.

"Elena? Elena, are you okay?" I asked in panic, trying to get her to look at me. "Elena!"

Another groan escaped her wet lips, her eyes shimmering in pain as she tried to be strong and ignore the pain that she was obviously feeling. The groaning grew less and less, her panting slowly changing back to a steady breathing.

"Elena, please tell me what's wrong," I begged her.

Carefully, she lifted her head, a forced smile on her lips as she tried to reassure me, but her eyes were telling a different story. There was nothing but pain and sorrow to make out in them, her body trembling lightly as she freed herself out of my arms to be able to properly look at me.

"I'm fine, Damon," she groaned, sitting up. "Just a little headache."

"Don't lie to me."

"Damon… Just… don't, okay?" she begged, her eyes pleading.

"This is not the first time that this has happened when with me, Elena. How often do you have them?" I questioned her, taking her soft hand into mine and stroking it soothingly.

"I don't know… sometimes?" she shrugged, clearly still recover from the sudden pain. "It's nothing, really. Just some stupid headaches. They come and go as they want. Don't worry about it."

I sighed. "Maybe you should-"

"Elena?" The voice of my brother sounded from the door as it slowly opened, causing her and me to bring some distance between the both of us. "Are you in here?"

"Yeah, over here on the couch," she replied nicely, glad to have gotten away from our conversation.

"Damon?" Stefan looked at me skeptically. "What are you doing with Elena?"

"What does it look like we're doing, Stef?" I exclaimed, an annoying undertone lying in my voice. "Jeez, I'm talking to one of my students. Calm down, little bro."

"Anyway," Stefan rolled his eyes at me before turning to Elena. "Matt wanted me to tell you that he left and that he's sorry that he couldn't t you kehome, but Caroline was drunk and he couldn't find you anywhere and you wouldn't pick up your phone, so he-"

"Wait," she interrupted him. "How late is it anyway?"

He scratched the back of his head in thought. "About three in the morning or so."

Her eyes widened as she looked at me before jumping up from the couch, groaning at the pain that had shot through her head earlier. "Shit! I didn't realise it was that late already! Grays- My dad is gonna kill me for sure."

"I would drive you home, but the party is still going on and I can't leave the Boarding House as long as it is," Stefan smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she returned his smile. "Maybe I could just walk. I mean the flat isn't that far away."

"I could drive you," I found myself saying before I could even think about my words.

Both Stefan and Elena looked at me with wide eyes, clearly shocked. I was shocked myself with the words that I had spoken, but if it meant that I got some more alone time with Elena, then so be it. I couldn't let her go just yet, not when we had only just started bonding.

"What? You're looking at me like I just shot Bambie's mother," I replied cockily.

"You're offering to drive her home?" Stefan choked out.

"No, Stef, I just said that because I was bored," I rolled my eyes. "Is it such a surprise to you that I'm being nice? She's my… student after all. Wouldn't want her to get into a car accident or get hurt in any way while she's going home alone."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see the small smile that was playing on Elena's lips as I spoke. She knew exactly what I was doing, trying to win more time to spend with her without anyone getting suspicious. And as much as it hurt to call her my student, there was a constant reminder in the room that she and I weren't allowed to be together in the public, that our relationship was anything but right. I needed to convince Stefan of my motives.

"Stefan… Mr-Mr. Salvatore is right," Elena intervened. "What's the harm in it? He's just going to drive me home."

"Alright alright," he held his hands up in surrender. "As long as you get home safely and Matt doesn't chop my head off on Monday."

Elena looked confused. "Why would he want to chop your head off?"

"Well, I don't think he would appreciate it if his date landed herself the hospital thanks to me," Stefan laughed quietly.

My heart skipped a beat, my eyes searching for hers. Date? She had been on a date with that little blonde quarterback? I silently groaned to myself. I had no right to be jealous and yet I couldn't deny that I was. Knowing that she had come to this party with someone that wasn't me, it was unbearable. The thought of someone else touching her the way I did, looking at her as if she were his world – it tore me apart. Nobody was allowed to touch my girl. It was like an unwritten law.

I thought about the last few hours; how they had flown by without either of us noticing. We both had been imprisoned in our own little world together, simply enjoying the each other's company. We had talked and laughed. It made me realise that maybe I didn't even need to be jealous because Elena Gilbert was already mine. As I was hers. Max or Matt, whoever, didn't matter.

All that mattered were Elena and I. Nothing else.

"Alright," I clapped my hands together. "Shall we go?"

...

The stars sparkled gleefully in the dark night sky, the light of the moon shining down on us, guiding us through the darkness. A comfortable silence filled the car, both of us seemed to be lost in our own world. Thousands of thoughts were running through my mind and they all seemed to lead back to one person, one special girl that was sitting right next to me in the car.

Elena.

Thoughts about her clouded my mind as everything else seemed to get less and less important. Her simple presence made my heart race while butterflies erupted in my stomach. Twenty-five years of living and not once had this happened to me before. Women had never meant anything to me. I would walk up to them in a bar, flirt with them and by the end of the night, they would be lying in my arms. Preferably naked. And the next day, I would go on as if nothing had happened the previous night.

But out of every woman that I had ever met in my entire life, with Elena, I found myself wanting more than that. It wasn't just my body that reacted to her. Every fibre in my entire being craved for her presence.

My gaze slipped over to her as I kept driving towards the address she had given me earlier. She looked at me; her angelic eyes holding mine with warmth that made my heart beat faster. You know how they say that once you begin to fall in love with someone, your whole body reacts to it? All I knew was that my entire body screamed for hers; craved the touch of her silky skin against mine, the taste of her wet lips on mine.

I coughed awkwardly, pushing every corrupted thought of her out of my mind as I drove into the street where Elena lived.

"Is that it?" I pointed at 'Gilbert's Garage' as I slowly came to a halt before it.

Her gaze followed mine, an uncertain look lying in her eyes. "Yes, that's home."

"You live in a garage?"

"No, of course not," she laughed. "Our flat is right above the garage. It belongs to my father. That's why we live above it. He likes that he doesn't have to walk that far to work every morning."

I shook my head in amusement. "Oh right. Well, it sure sounds logical."

I watched her as she unclicked her seatbelt and got ready to leave, but something inside of her seemed to be fighting with herself as her body held still in her seat. Not intending on leaving my car anytime soon.

"Thank you," she smiled, turning her head to look at me as I let the motor of my Camaro calm down. "For getting me home safely, I mean."

"Of course. Someone had to play the knight in shining armour after all," I grinned as I leaned back in my seat to get a better look at her.

"Well, aren't you a gentleman, Mr. Salvatore."

"The best you'll be able to find nowadays, I assure you, Ms. Gilbert."

"Oh, are you now?"

"Don't you believe me?"

"Well, I don't know," she teased in a divine voice as she leaned her head forward, her eyes sparkling in delight. "How about you show me?"

"Mhm," I nodded my head, planting a small kiss on her lips. "That sounds like a plan that I like."

I tucked her hair behind her ear, my gaze not once darting away from her wet lips as I did so. As if there was a magnetic pull between the two of us, we both leaned forward, our lips reuniting in the middle. Thousands, millions of feelings spread through my body, leaving me astonished and overwhelmed as I pressed my lips harder against hers, my only focus was the incredible taste of her kiss. Her arms slid around my neck while her lips opened slightly, allowing my tongue to enter and meet hers in an infinite battle of passion.

And in that moment, I knew that I was lost, addicted and utterly drawn to the girl in my arms. She was like a drug. My own personal drug, unhealthy and came with risks and at the same time, the most beautiful thing in the world to me.

Gently, I pulled away from her lips, trailing soft and wet kisses down her neck as my hands glided over her hips, completely forgetting that we were sitting in the front of my car. Once again. Elena moaned in pleasure, her hands ruffling up my hair. Her body felt like an endless sea of treasures to me. I could get lost in it for years, still new adventures to discover.

She lifted my head back up, placing small kisses on the edges of my mouth before consuming my lips with hers again. My eyes closed. I let my hands wander over her body, every inch of her burning itself on my memory. Everything about her was mesmerizing – the way she moved, the way she talked and the way she had the ability to trap everyone into her spell with only one look. This girl was something special, someone that I knew I wouldn't be able to forget even in a million years."Wha-What are we doing, Damon?" she panted, making me stop in my tracks.

I thought about her words, my eyes melting into hers as I stared at her in awe. My arms were still holding her close. I didn't think I had ever seen someone as beautiful as her before, with her long brown hair that hung gracefully down her shoulders, her silk skin that burned when it touched mine, and her brown doe eyes that held such innocence and yet hid an enormous fire behind them. I couldn't bear to tear my gaze away from her.

Honestly, I had no idea what we were doing, but whatever it was, my body didn't let me stop. Everything I did, every move that I had made these past two weeks, my mind had wandered back to Elena and the kisses that we had shared. Back to how good it had felt, and how I had wanted to feel it so desperately again.

"I don't know. I really don't," I groaned against her lips, my hand softly stroking her cheek. "All I know is that I can't stop with whatever this, you and me, is. And I honestly don't want to."

"Me neither," she breathed out, her eyes lingering for more.

I leaned forward, both of my hands cupping her face gently as I pressed my lips against hers, a sudden rush of adrenaline pulsing through my veins. Her lips tasted like chocolate and strawberries. It was like poison that you couldn't get enough of. No matter how dangerous and wrong you know it was, you were drawn to it, tempted every second of the day to taste it again. And you would do anything just to have that chance one more time. I slid my tongue smoothly over her upper lip, a silent moan escaping her as I let my hand wander down her back, stroking it softly.

"Elena? Is that you out there?"

Groaning, I threw my head back in frustration as the older male voice echoed from the entrance of their house. All these interruptions lately really did no good to my ego or my little friend, for that matter. A slight blush had crept up on Elena's cheeks, her face glowing in utter joy and embarrassment at the same time. I couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was being.

"Yeah, I'm coming Grayson," she shouted back before turning back to me, a small smile playing on her lips. "I guess I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Salvatore."

My heart ached against my chest, as if torn into a million pieces at her words. On Monday, we would have to return back to reality. Where I was the teacher, Mr. Salvatore, and she was nothing but my student. The thought of being unable to touch her let alone unable to hug her, to kiss her in public made me wanna turn back time and just relive that moment forever. But she had to go and things would soon return back to their normal routine where we had to ignore each other and pretend like we didn't want to jump each other the second we laid eyes on one another.

There was one difference this time though. I knew that I hadn't lost her completely. I knew that I would see her again, that I would be able to touch her again just as I had done seconds ago. This wasn't the end of our relationship. It was only just the beginning.

"On Monday," I nodded absently.

"Goodnight," she smiled softly at me before turning back around and walking daintily over to the front door.

I watched her as she greeted the elder man, who I assumed must be her father, and talked to him, her gaze slipping over to me a few times throughout their conversation. I smiled lightly as she entered the house, followed by her dad, knowing exactly that I would see her again on Monday. The thought of her made my heart flatter against my chest. This girl had gotten under my skin in every possible away and no matter what I did, I wasn't able to shake her. And honestly, I didn't even want to anymore.

The moment that I had let her into my life I had put myself up for a big change, but with Elena by my side, I knew that I would make it through. Cause with her, nothing else mattered.

"Goodnight, 'Lena," I whispered quietly into the darkness.

* * *

_I'm not afraid anymore. _  
_I'm not afraid. _

_Forever is a long time. _  
_But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side._**  
**

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**A/N: So sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless and will leave me some feedback! A big thanks goes as always out to my friend and BETA Molly for looking over this as quickly and carefully as she did. And thank you to all for still reading! I love you all!**

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**Twitter - PureHeaart.**


	9. Time Go

**I don't own anything, all rights belong to CW. Only the storyline and additional characters are mine.**

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**CHAPTER 8**

_**Time Go**  
_

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_I'm in need of the answer, searching for questions, love would mean broken-hearted  
__Days slink by faster, it's a made up list and you lost me before I started  
__A little white lie, a big black sky, your emptiness open on the dashboard  
__You feel lack of self and it's someone else telling you to try where you failed before._

_Where does the time go? I don't know_  
_It's moving off the deep end_  
_Black on blue feeling slow-mo_  
_Now reach, I'll go_  
_Plus it's too brave to see again._

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**EPOV**

_I still remember the first time __that__ I held her in my arms. How she looked at me with those hazel brown eyes of hers, it was like the light of the world was mirroring in them. She had only been a few minutes old and yet she had the power to stir up all of my emotions. __Emotions that I didn't know I had seemed to pour out of every inch of my body__. She was so tiny and frail like those l china dolls you buy in the shop around the corner. At the same time, she was the most beautiful human being that I had ever laid my eyes on. I gently rocked her in my arms, silent tears streaming down my face as she slowly drifted off to sleep. A small smile grew on her smooth lips. Looking down at her, I softly stroked her cheeks with the pad of my thumb as if she was the most precious thing on the planet. She was the most precious thing on the planet to me._

_They say that the moment you first lock eyes with your child you're never able to leave them again. There is an immediate connection, a tether, between the two of you. From the second that they had put Hazel into my arms, I understood what those people were talking about. I felt like there was no way I would ever be able to let her go again. But I knew that I had to. _

_Giving Hazel up was the hardest and most painful decision I ever had to make in my life, but it was a necessary one. Her father and I could have never given her the life that she deserved. We were so young and naïve back then; still kids ourselves. Who were we to take responsibility for a new-born, so innocent and fragile? It wasn't something that we meant to happen, unexpected and certainly not planned. But it did happen, and it had changed both of our lives forever. Our thoughts were always haunted by the images of the first and the very last time that her father and I had gotten to hold her in the safety of our arms._

_And to this day, I have never regretted anything more than having missed all those precious moments of my little girl's life. Every day I pray that those hazel brown eyes still hold that light in them. That her unique sparkle - the one that burns on to your soul and shows you all the beauty in this world - is still shining bright. I pray and hope that my little Hazel is happy and that maybe we did choose right in giving her up._

A single tear slipped down my cheek as I closed the book. The written words of my birth mother echoing again and again in my ears, my fingers tracing along the lines of the book cover. My gaze was blank, staring into the nothingness and at the same time trying to make sense of it all. My thoughts were drifting away. Reading this book had always been some sort of escape for me, images of a life that I would never have would roam through my head as I read it and fantasies about my birth parents would burn on to my mind

But now it was nothing more than a reminder. It was there to remind me that Miranda Sommers was my mother and that all of this was a lie. Her words, her book, everything that she had wanted people out there to understand and to imagine was nothing but a simple white lie. What kind of person could write such beautiful words about missing her daughter and not once feel the need to make sure that she was okay? What person could say that it was the biggest regret she had in life and then never go out there to search for her own flesh and blood? For her daughter?

Miranda and Grayson had decided seventeen years ago to give me away and put me into the care of other people. It had been their choice. Nobody had forced them to do it. But choices and circumstances could change, couldn't they? They had changed. At least for me they had.

I was never adopted. My whole life people had tossed me around between several families, never really finding a home, a place where I belonged or somewhere where people loved me. Nobody had ever wanted me. And that spark, that light in my eyes that she was always talking about? I hadn't seen it for a very long time. It had disappeared from my eyes the day that I had realised that no one was going to come for me. There was no person in the world that would save me from my own fateful destiny. And as I grew to accept it, the spark had gotten lost in the shadows of my thoughts.

However, there was one person that had managed to bring that sparkle back into my eyes. They made me feel like I could do anything if I wanted to. That nothing was impossible anymore. I looked at him and he looked at me, and nothing in the world had ever seemed more right to me. Damon had been the mysterious stranger at first and then the teacher that I couldn't ever be with, but now he had grown in to so much more. He made me feel alive, like I could climb the highest of mountains and jump over the biggest of obstacles if he was by my side.

We weren't perfect, far from it actually, but there was something between the two of us. Nothing that words could ever explain, bigger than every melody that would ever capture your heart. When I was with him, it just consumed me. I would look at him and the rest of the world would disappear. It would be only him and me. And when he took my hands into his, nothing else mattered anymore. Not Miranda or Grayson, Frank or the people from foster care.

None of it mattered. Just we did.

We were still in the process of getting to know one another. There were many things that I didn't know about him and things that he didn't know about me. He didn't know the things that I was scared to tell him – about me and about my past – but somehow, when I looked at him, I felt complete. Like everything in the world would be okay again if I just held on to him long enough.

A small smile crept up on my lips as I thought about seeing him again. Sure, we would be at school and I wouldn't be able to talk to him much, but I knew I would see him again. His ice blue eyes that burned into mine and his cute dimples when he grinned goofily at me, I'd see them again.

"Elena!" Grayson's voice echoed from the kitchen. "Are you up?"

"I'm coming!" I yelled back, wiping the dried tears from my cheeks.

Taking a last big breath and summoning up all my strength for the upcoming day, I got up from my bed and grabbed my school bag from the desk on the other side of the room, before slowly making my way downstairs.

I had no idea why I was so jumpy and nervous. Perhaps it was the fact that for once in my life I was actually feeling like everything could fall right into place and for me, that wasn't something that came without consequences, or came around very often for that matter, let alone last very long. Every ounce of happiness that I ever had in my life had been stolen away from me, be it by pure accident or choice, but I don't think I could take losing it again. Not this time. Not Damon.

I wouldn't let him slip through my fingers. If there was one thing that I was sure of, then it was the fact that from the moment that Damon had entered my life, everything had turned around 180 degrees and for once in my life I was happy to run along with it.

"Pancakes or waffles, Elena?"

Letting my bag drop down beside me, I sat down next to John at the kitchen table, a look of amusement crossing my face as I watched him. _Drooling all over the place, _I smirked to myself, _as per usual_. I shook my head laughing. _That man should really learn to start going to sleep earlier_, I thought to myself. He desperately needed it anyway.

"Hhm," I turned around to face Grayson, a thoughtful look on my face. "What are you recommending today, Chef?"

"Well, I've been told many times that I make the most delicious waffles on the planet. It wouldn't hurt to hear it again."

"Waffles it is then," I smiled.

"Don't let him fool you," Jonas butted in, walking into the kitchen and making himself at home. _Just like every other morning. _"His waffles are only half as good as he makes them out to be. Believe me, I've tried them."

"Who's been pulling your chain, Jonas?"

"Nobody," he shrugged. "I just thought that I should tell the poor girl the truth. We don't want her dying of food poisoning now.""

"And yet you still manage to eat a whole plate of them every morning that you're here," Grayson scoffed.

"What can I say? I like to live on the edge."

I let out a hearty laugh, gaining their attention before they carried on bickering like an old married couple.

"How about you give me my waffles?" I smiled. "I have to get to school in ten minutes and I can't be late again. Did you know I was late? Last Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and oh, did I forget to mention on Thursday, too?"

"Alright alright," Grayson sighed. "I get it. It's always my fault that you're late for school. What's next? You'll be saying it's my fault that the grass isn't blue and that waterfalls don't flow upwards."

"Yep! You got it," Jonas and I grinned.

Grayson put the waffles onto my plate, rolling his eyes at us. "Try not to choke on them."

Curiously, not knowing which of them to believe, I cautiously took a bite from my waffle. Like a snowflake, it melted on my tongue. It tasted sweet and yet it possessed a pinch of cinnamon - fluffy and yet crispy. I moaned silently, this was definitely the best waffle I had ever eaten in my life. Not that I had many to compare it to.

"This is delicious."

"Told ya," he said, grinning goofily, before slapping his brother across the head. "Don't drool all over my table, you moron."

John's head shot up. His tired eyes were filled with confusion as he took in his surroundings, staring at our faces like we were some kind of alien species.

"Wh-What happened? What did I miss?"

"Just go back to sleep, you lazy bastard!" Jonas exclaimed, laughing till his throat was dry.

"What are you guys doing here anyway? Don't you have your own homes or something?" I let out a quiet chuckle, taking a bite from my waffle.

"As a matter of fact," Jonas raised his eyebrows at me, "we do." He fell backwards on to one of the chairs beside me. "Well," he shrugged, "I do. John? I wouldn't be so sure."

John groaned, trying hard not to fall back to sleep.

"I do have one," he yawned. "I just prefer spending my time here."

"That bad?" I laughed.

"You have no idea."

"What about you, Jonas? Why are you here instead of your own home?"

"My son Luca goes to a boarding school up in Montana and lives with his mum for most of the time. When he's not home," he looked at me with a sad smile on his lips, "it gets kinda lonely in the house all by myself," he shrugged while placing a piece of his pancake onto his dribbling tongue. "And with Grayson and John around at the garage, and now you, I'm always in a good company. Okay. Maybe not so much with John," he added, his gaze wandering over to my uncle, who had planted his head back onto the table, snoring like King Kong with a nasal infection. "He's never good company."

"Just because I'm sleeping, it doesn't mean that you can go on and talk shit about me," John mumbled into the crook of his arm, slowly dozing off again. "I hear and see everything."

"Okay, God," I shook my head in amusement, turning back to face Jonas. "You have a son? How old is he?"

"Your age, actually," he chuckled quietly, still munching on his pancakes. "I think you guys would get along pretty well. He's just like you."

"How come he doesn't go to my high school then?"

"You see," Grayson butted in, leaning against the kitchen island. "That child is a genius, unlike most people in this room."

"Speak for yourself, old man," I scoffed.

Jonas leaned back on his stool with a toothy grin plastered across his cheeks. "Gotta agree with little Gilbert there, Gray. You're not exactly the brightest tool in the shed."

Grayson snorted. "Don't some of you have to leave now?" He glared at me and only me.

Munching happily away on my waffle, I looked down at my phone to check the time. My eyes bulged out from their sockets. Five minutes before school was meant to start and I hadn't even made a dent on my third waffle. "Shit! I'm gonna be late … AGAIN!"

"Not my fault this time," he held his hands up in surrender, smirking like a cat.

I sprung up from my seat, grabbing my bag finishing off the last of my waffle. Gulping, I waved goodbye at them as I ran into the hall.

"Technically it is," I shouted back at him. "You're the parent! You're supposed to make sure I get to school in time. Bye!"

"Is it also my job to make sure that you wear your shoes on the right feet?" I heard him mumble as I left the house in hurry, making me laugh in return.

Seeing as my school wasn't that far away from the service station, I would still make it there on time if I tried, but at the speed I walked at… yeah… I wouldn't make it before first period. I laughed quietly to myself as I relived the new breakfast tradition with the guys at home. As much as I had tried to avoid them at first, I couldn't deny how much they brightened up each and every morning. Even if I didn't like admitting it, these guys were already family, and losing them, it would tear my world apart.

* * *

The ticking of the clock echoed in my ears. Every second that passed felt like an hour as I slumped back in my chair. All the voices just seemed to fade into the background until the only thing that I could hear was the ticking of the clock_. _My mind was being plagued with worrying images. Every bone in my body was screaming at me, telling me to run away and hide in the dark because it wouldn't be long until something or someone came to take away the ounce of light that I had found in my new life.

I had this weird feeling lingering and churning in the pit of my stomach. It was like something bad, unexpected, but simply beautiful was going to happen. I don't think I had ever felt so confused in my life before.

I remembered back to when I was a kid - maybe ten or eleven years old - and I had just been placed into a new foster family after being stuck at the orphanage for about a year. That's the only other time that I can remember feeling such a mixture of emotions. Nervous and restless, but at the same time, happy and strangely I felt wanted by someone. It was one of those moments where you're so happy that it seems like it just couldn't be true, but you know there is something important missing. Then and there, that was exactly how I felt slumped back in my school chair. Everything seemed to fall right into place, like someone had just figured out how to finish a puzzle and couldn't wait to put the pieces together. It was just so easy. Too easy even.

Back then I had been right with my eerie feeling. It had all been too good to be true. The Johnsons had seemed like the perfect family at first, they had two other kids – a girl and a boy – and somehow I had fitted in. Then the fighting started. The never ending screaming and yelling became my theme tune. Vases would fly against the walls and shatter to pieces, doors would get slammed shut and cars would drive away in rage. And of course, as the new kid, it was always my fault. I was the one responsible for all the damage and pain the family felt. So they sent me away after only three months. I was back at the orphanage; the only place that seemed to welcome me back with open arms each time I returned.

But now, for the first time, I was scared of being right. I didn't want to be right.

I didn't want to leave this place. Not after it had made me feel more welcomed than any other place in the world ever had done. And most of all, as wrong as it sounds, I didn't want to leave him.

A small smile crept up on to my lips as I watched Damon in front of the class, creating bold gestures with his arms as he explained the big events of America's Independence Day to us. He seemed so alive. He was completely in his element whenever he spoke about forgotten times of the past, moments that had been forgotten by most of society a long time ago. Yet he still remembered them like it was yesterday. Like he himself had experienced them, had lived through them.  
Watching Damon teach showed me how much he really loved his job, and how he was risking all of this just for me – a silly schoolgirl that was still trying to find her place in this world while he had found his already. It was right here in Mystic Falls, standing in front of a class, teaching them about the things that he loved.

Whereas I didn't think I would ever find a place where I truly belonged, or even if there was one for me.

"Earth to Elena!"

My head snapped to the right where an amused Caroline stared right at me. "Wha-sorry, what did you say?"

Caroline grinned teasingly at me. "Daydreaming about Mr Salvatore again?"

"What? No," I blinked rapidly, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I'm just… a bit distracted.""Oh distracted, are you?" Her eyes gazed up in interest. "Who's the mysterious guy on your mind then?"

"No one," I mumbled distractedly, already feeling the telling blush that was attacking my cheeks.

"So there is a guy," Caroline stated matter-of-factly

I groaned silently, burying my head in my hands as the blush on my cheeks kept getting darker and darker. Caroline had no idea how much I wanted, needed to tell someone about him, about us and about everything. She had no clue just how much I wanted to get it off of my chest because that would make it all easier, being able to share my happiness with someone else. But she also didn't know how dangerous that would be. I couldn't tell anyone without risking losing him. And that was a risk I wasn't ready to take.

"Oh come on," she whispered too loudly, her gaze switching between Damon and I, making sure he wasn't watching. "You can't keep a secret from Auntie Caroline. Tell me! Please!"

"Okay, okay!" I murmured, lifting my hands up in surrender. "There is someone, but… I really-"

"Ms' Gilbert. Ms' Forbs," his velvet voice interrupted us, forcing us both to look at him. "I would appreciate it if you could postpone your private conversations till after my lesson and discuss your problems in your free time. Now's the time to pay attention."

"But Mr Salvatore-"

"No buts Ms. Forbs," Damon's gaze glided over to me as he spoke, his eyes sparkling with slight amusement. "I don't want any more interruptions within my lesson anymore or I will put you both in detention."

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back into her chair. "Fine, you won't hear another peep outta me. I promise."

"That's what I like to hear," he grinned. "Same goes for you, Ms' Gilbert."

I nodded, biting back a smile myself. "Noted, sir."

Without granting Caroline or me another look, he returned to his usual position in front of the class and continued talking about the astonishing events of the 4th July 1776. I didn't talk to Caroline for the rest of the lesson, but I knew that I wouldn't get out of it so easily. She would keep bugging me every second of the day until I finally snap and tell her the truth and when – IF - that moment arrived, I would be screwed.

Propping my head up on my arm and staring right ahead, I hung on Damon's every word. Once in a while, his gaze would glide over to me, his eyes glistening mischievously and making me bite back a school-girl smile.

"And remember," he said the moment the bell rang, telling us all that we had to leave for our next lesson. Science – _the joy_! "Your assignment on Martin Luther King is due in two weeks."

A simultaneous _"Yes, sir"_ could be heard before everyone quickly started to disappear out of the classroom, leaving Caroline, Bonnie and I behind.

As we walked past Damon's desk, he called out my name.

"Ms. Gilbert?" I turned around to him in curiosity, my head tilted to the side as I smiled at him. "I thought you would like to have some files about the material we went over before you transferred to our school. They might be helpful."

I took the papers and put them into my notebook, noticing the small yellow note that was taped on top of them. "Thank you, Mr Salvatore."

"Anytime," he smiled. "Now make sure you girls get to your lesson. We don't want the teacher being upset about you being late, do we?"

All three of us nodded, waving him goodbye as we turned to walk away. "Bye, Mr Salvatore."

Making sure that neither Caroline nor Bonnie were watching me as they lost themselves in a deep and descriptive conversation about how hot Damon was when he showed authority and how his ice blue eyes could make any woman melt before his feet, I pulled out the yellow sticky note. I smiled shyly to myself, silently squealing with joy as I read the message he had given me for my eyes only.

_Come by this afternoon at the Boarding house? Little brother has football practice till seven o'clock, so no worries. Love, D. _

...

"What are you doing this Friday night?" Caroline and Bonnie asked me as we walked out of school, thankful that last period had ended.

The rest of my lessons had passed agonizingly slow that day. I would catch myself drifting off more often than usual and barely paid any attention to what my teachers were trying to teach me. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I knew it had something to do with the horrid feeling at the pit of my stomach. Something bad and unexpected was going to happen. I could feel it.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably nothing special. Why are you asking?"

"It's settled then," the blonde squealed. "Movie night at mine! Bring all the DVD's and sweets that you can find. It's a date."

"When the hell did you plan this?"

"Just right now. Didn't you listen to me? Duh," she replied with a cheeky grin.

Bonnie laughed. "Ignore her. When it comes down to movie nights and sleepovers, she's always like this. She doesn't accept no for an answer."

"Oh I see how-"

"Ewena!"

I flew around at the sound of the squeaky and girly voice that I knew all too well, just as a tiny body clamped itself around my leg. I would have recognized her shiny blonde hair and her emerald green eyes anywhere. They held an innocence and yet this immense bubble of knowledge in them. I had never seen something so amazing.

If I didn't know her so well, I could never imagine or even consider all the pain that she had been through. Despite of everything – all the pain and agony that she had been put through – she never lost her strength or her ability to make people smile whenever she was around.

"A-Amelia?" I stuttered, looking down at her in disbelief and happiness. "Baby girl, what are you doing here?"

"I missed wou," she mumbled, her grip tightening around my leg.

"Oh, I missed you too, sweetie," I said, crouching down beside her and shooting her a worried smile. "But how did you get here? Is someone with you?"

"Do you really think that we would let her go off on her own?"

My head snapped up at the sound of Jensen's voice, a goofy smile playing on my lips as I took in his boyish appearance. Since the moment that I had met him, six months ago, when I first moved in with Frank and Ashley, he hadn't changed a bit. He was still the same messy and adorable guy that I had left behind. His dark brown curls were still covering his forehead, his emerald eyes as green as ever and his oversized T-shirt hanging lazily down his body.

I remembered when I first met him. He didn't talk at all unless it was with Amelia. He would just sit at the dining table, back in his chair, watching us, listening to our words and analysing us with his intense glare. There had always been something odd about him back then, but then I had the pleasure to meet the boy behind the façade.

"Jensen!" I exclaimed happily, lifting Amelia up in my arms. "What are you guys doing here? I-I don't understand."

In reality, he was just like me. Lost and confused. Damaged and burnt, thrown away one too many times. And yet he got up each time and picked up the broken pieces before somehow moving on. He was just a kid, barely sixteen, and he already seen all the hidden evil in the world. He had seen all the evil that he should have been protected from.

When I look at him, I know that if I could, I would have prevented all those terrible things from happening to him. I would've done it in a heartbeat.

"We missed you back home," he shrugged, smiling slightly at me. "It isn't the same without you."

Amelia made herself comfortable in my arms, burying her head into my chest as I held her close to me. Sighing, I planted a small kiss on her forehead. I couldn't deny the fact that I missed them as well, because even though Ashley and Frank had never made me feel like a part of their family, Jensen and Amelia had happily welcomed me into theirs.

"And I think that's our cue to leave!" Bonnie interjected.

Caroline nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow first period, right?"

"Of course," I smile, waving at them as they walked away. "Bye girls!"

I put Amelia back on the ground and rested my hands on her tiny shoulders as she stood before me, looking up at Jensen in admiration. He smiled goofily at her, ruffling up her hair. Sometimes it was hard to believe that these two weren't really siblings. They had both been at Ashley and Frank's for about a year before I came into the picture. To me, it seemed like Jensen had taken over the father role and big brother role in Amelia's life. The way he took care of her, always with her best at heart, it reminded me so much of Elijah.

Whether I had been thrown into a new family or was chucked back into the orphanage, Elijah had always taken care of me. I called, he came. I knocked on his door, he answered. I held all of my emotions in and he was the first one to tell me to let it all out. He was the first person to truly care about me and, somehow, it felt like Jensen was the first one to ever pay attention to Amelia. And she loved it. She loved him.

"How is it with Frank and Ashley? Are they treating you guys alright?"

"No different from when you were still with us. Ashley and Frank are still as horrible as ever, though Frank's alcohol problem has definitely gotten worse," Jensen said, his voice calm and steady the whole time. "Most of the time I just try to keep Amelia out of the house as much as humanly possible."

"That's probably a good idea," I nodded.

"But Amelia misses you, we-"

"We all do."

My head shot up at the sound of his voice, my eyes blurring with tears as I took in his elegant but manly appearance. Something about him had changed and I wasn't talking about his new haircut. The trim that made him look way more mature than I ever thought possible. Yet the man standing before me was still the same old Elijah – the boy who had been my best friend and brother for many years. He still had that look in his eyes, a look of concern and love, one that he had been giving me since we first met and one that had always made me realise that I wasn't alone in the world. With Elijah by my side, I knew that I never really would be.

My whole life had been a ride through the unknown and the unexpected, never knowing what was going to happen next, where I was going or which direction to choose. In moments where I had been so overwhelmed by life, drowned into the darkness of the unknown and blind to the choices I had to make, Elijah had held my hand and lead me out of the dark and back into the light.

"Elijah…"

In all those years, he had been the one to come to my rescue when I screamed and the one who answered when I called. He was the one to pick up the pieces after my heart had been broken for the umpteenth time. While everything around me had changed, people had left and things had disappeared, he never did. All my life, he had been my constant.

"Hey, little one," he smiled.

I whimpered, a single tear rolling down my cheek. "Don't you think I'm a bit too old to be still called that by you?"

"I thought we already discussed this," he chuckled, stepping closer to me. "You're always gonna be my little one, 'Lena."

"Elijah, I'm so-so sorry. I didn't mean the things I said to you on the phone. I was upset and angry and hurt and-"

"Come here."

"I needed you so much and you just weren't there. You weren't there," I cried, completely ignoring his command. "I-I didn't know what I was supposed to do. You were just gone and you were supposed to never leave me and I'm so sorry for-"

"Elena," he interrupted me, his voice stern and fully of authority. "Come here."

Finally the words stopped pouring out of my mouth as my eyes met his, soft and full of forgiveness and love. Then I got it. He wasn't mad at me. He had never really been mad in the first place. Looking back at our fight, I remembered his words throughout our entire conversation. Yes, he had been upset, but most of all he had been worried. He was worried about me.

I mentally slapped myself as the tears kept flowing down my cheeks. Elijah was the only person who knew who I truly was, past and present and future. He was the one to tell me off when I was being unreasonable, the one to share the laughter with me when I was happy and the one to pull me into his arms when I was upset. He knew that I was who I was for dark and secret reasons, but I knew he would never judge me on it. That was why he couldn't be mad after our fight, because he knew me. He knew that I would react defensively and push him away.

Because that was what I always did.

Without any second thought, I ran into his arms, burying my head into the crook of his neck, taking in his familiar scent. His arms tightened around me as more sobs erupted from my fragile body. I hadn't realised till now how much I had really missed him and everything about him. He was everything that I needed to get through the roughest of days. Even the darkest of demons and the cruellest of people couldn't pull me down when he was around."Hey," he pressed a kiss to my temple. "We're okay. Everything's okay."

"I'm so sorry," I sobbed into his shoulder.

"Ssh, it's okay. I know," he tried to sooth me. "But you have no reason to be sorry at all, okay? I will always be here. Remember? Always, little one. Wherever you go, I will always have your back."

I looked up at him with a small but real smile."Promise?"

"I promise."

I wrapped my arms tightly around his middle, glad to have him back with me, even if it was just for the day. Without him, the past weeks had been hard. It was unusual and felt like another time, another place and another universe. There was no Elena without Elijah - as there was no brother without his sister and no best friend without their friend. The painful thought of what I had nearly lost, this, him, was impossible to avoid no matter how hard I tried.

I couldn't risk losing this, losing us, for anyone or anything.

A sudden realisation hit me, making me shrug out of his embrace immediately. I gave him a firm slap on the chest as I shot him a death glare, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"If you weren't mad at me then why did you never call?" I huffed, half playfully and half seriously.

"Oh," he mouthed.

"Yeah '_oh_', shitwit!"

"Hey! No swearing! We have a little kid with us," he gestured towards Amelia and Jensen, both was deep into conversation about desserts. They seriously loved feeding their sweet-tooth.

"Right, I forgot about Jensen for a moment," I giggled, looking over my shoulder.

"I'm not the little kid here, guys!" he protested before grinning goofily at us. "Can't say the same for you though."

"I'm wittle!" Amelia shouted proudly, making us all laugh.

Jensen chuckled softly. "Yeah you are! Very small and very little."

"Meanie," she groaned.

I shook my head at them, a small smile curling up on my lips as I listened closely to their bickering, before turning back to a very amused Elijah. He must have been thinking the same thing that I did whenever I watched Jensen and Amelia interact. He and her, they were us. Back when I was just a little girl and he a little boy, we were still carefree and able to love, even though we had been faced with the evilest of people. We were just like they were, Amelia and Jensen. They were happy. Brother and sister. He was her protector and she his little princess.

"So why didn't you?" I asked Elijah again.

"I thought you needed space," he shrugged, a sad smile on his face. "You always do after a fight."

Deep down I knew that he was right. After every single fight I had ever had, I would push them away and try to reject them. With Elijah it was different. There were times when both of us had been too stubborn to apologize to one another. It only ended when we both finally just forgot about it and one of us showed up at the other's house. Or we'd pretend like it never happened when I when I realised how stupid I had been and went running back to him. Then there were those times when he had given me space, waited for me to say something, and then after a few days he would turn up at my door with a movie and a tub of ice cream. In seconds we would go back to being us again like nothing ever happened.

But not once had we given up on each other. He had never given up on me, even when I had given up on myself.

"Thank you," I replied genuinely.

"Don't mention it," his grin grew as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Just buy me a really big tub ice cream and we'll call it quits."

Jensen's head shot up immediately, the drool literally forming itself in the corner of his mouth. "Ice cream? Did someone say ice cream?"

"Ice cream! Me want ice cream!" The little girl jumped up and down in excitement.

"Ice cream it is then," I smiled a smile that reached from one ear to the other.

Even though we had different DNA, Elijah, Jensen and Amelia, they were family. All of us had suffered from loss, grief and loneliness. Even the youngest one of us, Amelia, would cry herself to sleep at night. She cried for her mommy and daddy to rescue her and take her away from all of the pain and darkness.. We all had been hurt in many different ways and yet, we were all kind of the same.

But in ourselves we had found one thing that many kids living in orphanages and foster homes searched for years and never found. We grew to be siblings, to be a family. One that I wouldn't trade for the world.

* * *

"Ewena! I don't want to leave! I wanna stay with you!"

We had spent the whole afternoon rummaging around town, wandering from one ice cream café to another and visiting several toy stores that had stolen Amelia's interest. None of could resist her famous puppy eyes and she knew that.

Despite of the horrid feeling I'd felt since the moment that I woke up, I had enjoyed my day with them. I never understood the meaning behind the saying that you only appreciate what you had after you've already lost it, but our day put it all into perspective. I hadn't realised how much I had missed Amelia – the girl who could outshine the sun with her warmth. Jensen – the guy who always knew what to say in any situation. Then Elijah, what more could I say about him?

They had been there when there had been nobody else in my life and nobody could ever replace them. No matter how far the distance between us, we were linked.

"Oh baby girl," I crouched down beside her, taking her small hands in mine. "You can visit me anytime you want, okay? I'm sure Eli and Jensen will come with you, right guys?"

Both of them nodded with large grins on their faces. "For the sake of Amelia, we'll be down all the time."

I huffed. "As if either one of you could go a month without me. I dare you."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Jensen smirked.

"Hey! I was tawking to Ewena! You're mean," Amelia pouted, knowing that was all it took to make Jensen cave and let her have it her way. She might have looked innocent, but she definitely knew how to twist people around her little finger.

Jensen sighed, letting his shoulders fall. "Sorry, princess, go on."

"Thank wou."

Before I could react, the little girl had swung her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly as small sobs escaped her dainty mouth. I closed my eyes, planting a small kiss to her forehead as I softly hummed assuring words into her ear. Sometimes I loved her like she was my own. It might sound weird to some people, considering that I was only seventeen at this point, but she deserved to have a loving family that she dreamt about every night.

She deserved a small house with a white picket fence and a cute little puppy that she could take with her everywhere she went. She deserved parents who loved her like she was the most precious thing on the planet. Most of all, this girl deserved a bright future. One filled with many happy and pleasant memories.

She deserved all the things that I knew I couldn't give her.

"Lia," Elijah spoke up in a gentle voice. "It's time to say goodbye to Elena now."

"But I don't want to!" she cried, desperately clinging on to my body.

"Hey," I wiggled myself out of her embrace, tucking her hair softly behind her ears. "It won't be long until you can come and visit again, alright? Then we can do all the things we couldn't do today."

"Even go to the zoo and see the monkeys?" Her eyes lit up.

"Yes, even that."

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Let go then!"

I shook my head in laughter, watching her as she climbed into the back of Elijah's car. Smiling softly, I turned back to Jensen and pulled him into a tight hug. "Goodbye, Jens. Take good care of her. She needs you."

"I will," he nodded, kissing me lightly on the cheek. "Bye Elena. See you soon, Elijah."

Together, Elijah and I, we made our way over to the small entrance just beside my father's service station and climbed up the stairs to the flat. We walked in silence, neither of us really ready to break it and say goodbye again. Even though we knew that it wasn't going to be forever, probably not even for a month, we still hated saying goodbye. It was always a reminder of all the times we had to spend apart as kids; when we were sent to different families, different places and different worlds.

In fact, we hated goodbyes. They seemed so set and firm, like nothing was going to come after them. It was like the ending of a book, but not having the ability to go back a few pages to read the last chapter all over again.

Walking into the flat, I could hear voices coming from the living room. They didn't seem all too happy. I shot Elijah a look of confusion. He only shrugged at me and motioned for us to go and find out.

As we came to the living room, I recognized the voice of my social worker, Molly, who I saw in deep conversation with Grayson. Neither seemed aware of our presence.

Awkwardly, I cleared my throat. "Hey?"

Both of their heads shot up to look at me, their eyes widening in realisation and their faces filled with sorrow and guilt. I narrowed my eyes – what were they hiding? Did something happen back in Richmond? But Amelia and Jensen were here. That could only mean…

No, they couldn't have found out about Damon and me. There was no chance in hell, or was there?

"What is going on, guys?"

"Elena," Grayson said softly. "How about you sit down for a minute? There's something we need to talk to you about… alone."

"Oh, of course," Elijah spoke up from behind me. "I'm just gonna-"

"Don't," I interrupted him immediately. "I don't have any secrets from Elijah anyway. Whatever you're wanna tell me then he's gonna know it eventually. So either way…."

The truth was that I was scared of what was to come. It definitely wasn't good news, not with the worry that was written across both of their faces. Having Elijah on my side had always given me strength. I needed him there.

He had no idea about the things that had sometimes floated through my mind at night when nobody was watching, when I was all by myself and he didn't know about things that had happened while I tried to escape these thoughts. But he had tried to pull me up nevertheless, propping me up till I was able to stand on my own two feet again.

Without him, I probably wouldn't have even be standing there with all of them in that living room. Elijah had been the one to shun me here, practically forcing me to give this life and also Grayson a chance.

"Alright then," Molly smiled. "If that is what you want."

"It is."

Squeezing my arm lightly, Elijah made his way over to the unoccupied couch in the room and sat down. I soon followed him, taping nervously with my foot as I waited for them to speak.

"After you arrived here a few weeks ago, your father asked me to do something for him," she started off in a calm and collected voice. "He wanted me to find your mother, Miranda Sommers, and tell her that you were now living with him. In his opinion it was only right that she knew that she could visit you whenever she wanted to - if she wanted to."

"W-w-what?" I stammered.

"It took me a while to find her, but I eventually found out that she had moved away from Mystic Falls a few years back and bought a small house in New Jersey where she is living with her new husband and her… six year old son …Jeremy," Molly shot me a sympathetic smile before continuing. "I talked to her and she was shocked at first, but really happy once she had actually taken time to realise that I had just told her that her daughter is back at home… "

"What does that even mean?" I whispered, nearly choking on my own words as I tried to keep myself restrained. This couldn't be happening; they couldn't make me go back to that place. Anywhere but New Jersey.

"She wants to see you, Elena," Grayson replied softly, his eyes dropping to the ground in sadness.

"More than that actually," Molly butted in again. "She wants you to go and live with her in New Jersey with her and her family. She finally wants to be your mother, Elena."

I kept quiet, images and thoughts running through my mind on a constant loop, all leading back to that place - New Jersey. I had promised myself that I would never set foot back into that town, not on my free will, not as long as I could make my own decisions. All it ever brought me was pain and bad memories, ones that I so desperately wanted to forget but still lingered in the back of my mind at night, haunting me in my dreams.

"Do you wanna go and live with Miranda, Elena? Because if you do, I get it, I really do," Grayson gulped, making me look at him. "I'm not the best father figure in the world and I would understand if you would prefer living in an actual house instead of a small flat over my service station… If that's what you want-"

"And what if it isn't? What if she wants to stay?" Elijah asked for me, speaking the words that were lying on the tip of my tongue but just wouldn't come out.

"I would be happy if she did choose to stay with me. I don't think I could lose her so soon, especially after I just got her, but…" My father choked, running his hands through his chestnut brown hair as he tried to find the right words to continue. They didn't come.

Molly sighed. "But Miranda is definitely not gonna give you up again that easily. She wants you to be a part of her life and she thinks that maybe your living arrangements with Grayson aren't really good for a young girl at your age. Basically said, she thinks you could have it better with her and her husband, in New Jersey."

I stared at them in shock and astonishment, my eyes starting to blank out my surroundings as I tried to comprehend everything they just had told me. My mental consciousness was slowly floating away from me, blurry images shooting through my head, my mouth hanging open in confusion. Why was it that every time that I believed that I had found something good in my life, someone seemed to take it away from me? Did I not deserve to be happy like everyone else did? Was there really something so wrong with me?

It's like life wanted me to hate it. Like it wanted me to give up and just throw it all away. But I wasn't going to give up without a fight, not this time. Not when I had finally found a reason to fight and something to fight for. And most of all, I hoped that I was reason enough for Grayson to stand up and fight. I was a good enough reason for him to fight. I couldn't take the thought of him leaving me stranded, not after all the honest things that he had told me. The words that never left me; that accompanied me wherever I went.

Despite of everything bad that happened since the moment that I first stepped foot into my father's service station, so many good things had made me realise how much I had already grown to care about this place. I already cared about my home, my school and my friends.. Every single one of them meant a lot to me already. I had no idea when or why it happened, but I had would find myself waking up and smiling about the thought of going downstairs and eating breakfast with Grayson, John and Jonas. I had gone to school happy about the thought that I didn't have to sit alone at lunch and actually had someone to bring me through those boring lessons.

And then… Then there was Damon. I definitely couldn't leave him, not now that we had finally overcome some of our differences and had decided to give us, and our relationship, a chance. Sure, there weren't many odds standing in our favour – hell, there wasn't one thing that voted for our relationship – but not being able to see him every day, to touch him and to feel him against me, and to see that faint smile on his lips every time he passed me in school, it was painful to even think about. Should it all be over before it had even begun? Two days in and everything was already crumbling into pieces.

"Elena?" Mollie's voice echoed faintly through my ears, but I could barely hear her. My thoughts were getting louder and louder with every second that passed.

Above it all, I didn't want to go back to that place. Too much had happened there. Too much to ever be able to put into words and explain it to someone. They were things that I could never change and images that I could never erase from my mind. His face, the stupid grin and the mischievous spark of cruelty and satisfaction in his eyes, the memories of that place burned into my mind, all a constant reminder of my fear.

No! I sprung up in a suddenly from the couch. I couldn't let this happen. I wouldn't let them send me back to that place and I definitely wouldn't let them take all of this away from me again. I would fight for this and for these people. I would fight for myself because I knew, deep down, that every one of them would do the exact same for me. They mattered to me just like I mattered to them.

I stole a glance at Grayson as he sat there, watching me, his expression pained and guilt-ridden. I smiled softly at the sight of him. I would fight this for him – for me and for us – because in a strange way, we were already a family.

"Elena?" Elijah appeared at my side, putting his hand gently on my shoulder and giving me the reassurance that I needed to stand in front of them all to talk. "Are you okay?"

"I am," I lied, before turning to look at Molly and Grayson, a pleading look in my eyes. "I-I'm not gonna let this happen. She didn't want me back then and not once did she search for me in all those years we were apart. This… I don't want to leave here. Please don't make me leave!"

"Nobody is making you leave," Molly told me in a soft tone of voice.

"Then why did you even contact her in the first place?" I replied, my voice getting louder with every word.

Grayson sighed. "She is your mother, Elena. I thought she deserved to know that you were living with me now, but had I known that she would, I-"

"You what?" I barked, crossing my arms over my tiny chest in annoyance. "You hadn't told her the truth? But you did! And now she wants me to leave this place! You did this! This is all your fault!"

"Elena, please," he begged, his gaze desperately wandering over to Molly for some help.

"If you really wanna stay with your father, Elena, nobody is forcing you to leave. But now that Miranda knows that you're here," Molly explained to me in a gentle voice. "I don't think she will give up so easily. She will fight and if the court decides that you're better off with her in New Jersey… I don't think there is anything that either of us can do about it."

Anger rose up in me. "But what about I want? What if I don't want to go in New J-Jersey? Does that not count?"

"Of course it does, sweetie."

"Then why is nobody asking me about what is important to me? How I feel about this! Does she even care?" I cried, pushing Elijah back as he tried to calm me down. "No! She doesn't get to do this. None of you do! I don't want to go back there!"

"Elena, please," Grayson locked eyes with me, pleading. "Let's talk about this in peace. No shouting. We are going to find a way out of this. I promise you that. Please?"

My gaze wandered around the room, their words racing through my head as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do. I couldn't leave, that much was clear, but would I really be able to sit in court and listen to people discuss my future while I wasn't allowed to speak up? I knew that if I really wanted to stay that I had to do it. I needed to be strong not only for myself but for the people around me. For Grayson. My family here. But I was only seventeen, barely a grown up. How could someone expect something so big from someone so young and broken as me?

I couldn't face the demons of my past. I wasn't made for this, let alone ready for it. The memories were too vivid, the wounds way too deep to ever be cured completely.

"I just," I mumbled, looking to the ground. "I need to-to be alone for a while. I-I'm sorry."

Holding back the tears that were about to break out, I turned away from them and headed towards the front door. I needed to get out of there, to distract myself and to think about all the things that were about to become even more complicated in my life. And I knew exactly where I needed to go. I needed to see him and have him hold me in his strong arms and hum silent melodies under his breath while he hugged me close, and yet gentle, as if I was the most precious thing to him.

Damon was my escape, the one thing that I wouldn't let be ruined by my horrid reality. When we were together, nothing else mattered. There was no past and no future. Just the here and the now. Just him and me.

"Elena! Wait a minute!"

I stopped in my tracks, my grip tightening around the doorknob as I turned to look at him, tears threatening to fall from eyes as I sobbed. "Elijah, I really need to be alone right now a-and as much as I appreciate you wanting to be here for me, this is something that I need to do alone and-"

"Hey, hey!" He interrupted me, his eyes softening. "I know, and I wasn't going to stop you."

"You weren't?" I frowned.

"No, dummy," he chuckled. "I know you, 'Lena, probably better than I know myself. And I know better than to follow you around like a lost puppy if you want to be alone. But if you ever need me again, don't even hesitate to call me, you hear me? I might be in Richmond and it might take me a few hours to get here, but I will always be there for you," he pressed a small kiss to my forehead. "Now go. Do what you need to do. But no drinking, alright?"

"Alright," I whispered.

"Good girl," his lips curled up in a smile. "Anyway, I gotta get Jensen and Amelia home in time. Otherwise Frank might actually try to kill me this time. Goodbye, little one. I will see you soon."

"Yeah," I said as the first tear rolled down my cheek. He pulled me in for a hug, my hands closing around his waist. "Thank you, Eli."

"That's what I'm here for, little one."

I looked up at him, freeing myself out of his embrace. "Say goodbye to Lia and Jensen for me, will you?"

"Of course," he told me softly. "Now go."

Taking a last look at Elijah, I opened the front door and ran into the rain, trying to protect myself with my coat. I ran - not even daring to look back at the service station and think about the people in it - as salty tears continued streaming down my pink cheeks, mixing themselves with the cold raindrops that were pouring down on me.

There was no soul for miles around as I slowed my pace but kept walking towards my destination. Everyone was locked up in their houses, hiding themselves from the upcoming thunderstorm. A bolt of lightening flashed up on the horizon, making me shiver as suppressed memories flooded through my mind. It didn't stop me and I kept walking nevertheless. I hated thunderstorms. Hell, they scared me shitless, always had done. It all started when I had reached the age of twelve and had started living with them. And with him - back in New Jersey.

I closed my eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. I started to walk quicker as the thunder grew louder and the sky got darker. This was not the time to think about him. I couldn't think of him. I needed to get to Damon.

Sighing, I tried to wipe away the dried tears and took my phone out, reading the time. 6.47 pm. I could only pray that Stefan wasn't home from football practice. I knocked on the door, waiting for Damon to open it and let me in. I sprung from one leg to the other, nerves rushed through my entire body as another lightning bolt flashed up in the sky.

_God, please someone open the damn door!  
_  
"Elena?" his voice startled me, making me look up in surprise. "I didn't think you would come."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," I mumbled, my eyes melting into his as he stared at me in awe. "I got hold up."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, a habit of his that I had noticed he quite often did when he couldn't put his finger on something. He studied my appearance, making me feel a bit uncomfortable in my state as water drops ran down my reddened face and dripped onto the ground. I hadn't even noticed that I was drenched from the rain, not a single spot on my clothes being dry.

"What happened?" he asked softly, placing his hand on my cheek and rubbing it gently with the pad his thumb. "Are you okay?"

I let my gaze wander over his perfect shaped face, his piercing blue eyes glimmering back at me and his raven black hair falling over his forehead in a soft curl. My knees began wobbling, my heart racing at an abnormal speed against my chest, a feeling of lifted weight spreading all through my body. Concern was written all over his face, his eyes trying to read mine, but I just stared blankly at him. It was hard to convince myself that this was real. That he was real. The reason for me being there had nothing to do with the tragic news that I had just been told or the horrid nightmares that had been plaguing my dreams at night, but to be with him. With us.

I had come here in desperate need of his presence, his warmth against my skin and because I needed something – someone - to hold onto and make me feel whole again.

Damon made me feel things that I had never felt before, emotions that I didn't even know existed before he entered my life. He made me feel wanted and needed, but also told me that it was okay to need someone else at same time. And right now, just like a duck needs water and a lion needs its lamb, I needed him to survive.

He would be the only one to pull me through this and he wouldn't even know it.

"Elena?" he stressed in a worried tone. "What's wrong?"

"I-I need y-you, please."

"I'm here, Elena," he planted a soft kiss to my forehead. "And I'm not going anywhere. Do you hear me? Please tell me what is wrong. I can help you."

"My-my Grayson and," I stammered as realization hit me. The truth was that he couldn't help me because he didn't know. None of them did. And I could never tell him, not in this lifetime. He would never look at me the same way as he did now - with this look full of love and concern and need. He might not know it yet, but I wasn't good for him. I destroyed the lives of those surrounding me, caring about me. He was clueless to who I really was and who I once had been. Completely clueless.

My past was like a cursed treasure that I was keeping locked up behind the deepest door in my heart. I could feel it aching and throbbing against my chest, a constant reminder of it. I couldn't tell him, not without losing him.

I tilted my head to the side, looking at him with my brown doe eyes, trying to memorize his face with my mind as fresh tears started rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't let go of him or the things that he made me feel - the feeling of waking up after sleeping for a thousand years, to feel alive after being dead for centuries. I couldn't lose that. I couldn't lose him.

"Elena? Please, let me help you."

Giving him a sad smile, I shook my head, not daring to look up at him as I whispered. "Nobody can help me. I've been lost for far too long already."

* * *

_Living on the back nine, living out your past life, trying to make a living as an outlaw  
Built the property to see, stealing away the way it used to be, everyone's used to it by now  
You pack up your gun, make your best run, your thinking isn't breaking any new ground  
But is there such a thing when you waltzed over me, wash away everything that you thought you found._

_Where does the time go? I don't know_  
_It's moving off the deep end_  
_Black on blue feeling slow-mo_  
_Now reach, I'll go_  
_Plus it's too brave to see again._

* * *

**A/N: SURPRISE! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I've been waiting to write this one for a very long time already. As always, a huge thanks goes to my Beta Molly who I caused some trouble with this chapter. Our emails decided to make fun of us! SO THANK YOU MOLLY! And also a massive thank you to all of you who reviewed, favourited and alerted Guide You Home! I love you all!  
**

* * *

**Twitter: PureHeaart**


	10. Free In Our Love

**I don't own anything. All rights belong to CW, only the storyline and the additional characters are mine.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

**_Free In Our Love_**

_I wish I hadn't seen all of the realness  
__And all the real people are really not real at all  
__The more I learn, the more I learn  
__The more I cry, the more I cry  
__As I say goodbye to the way of life  
__I thought I had designed for me_

* * *

**EPOV**

Life is a funny thing; it expects you to get up every single time that it has brought you down on your knees as you beg it to release you from the endless pain that it is putting you through. It expects you to fight back until you're bleeding and to scream until your throat is sore and dry. Time after time, you're supposed to straighten your shoulders, hold your nose up high and walk away and show the world, and everyone in it, that you're stronger than life itself. That you're brave and reckless, and that if you want to, you can make it through anything.

But what life doesn't consider is the fact that human beings get tired of fighting after a while and give up. They realise that there isno way that they could ever win that battle against evil. It would always permanently be in their lives no matter how hard they try to defeat it. With time, they just get used to the pain. It grows to be a part of them, a constant reminder of their past and the baggage that would always accompany them on their journey.

Because that's exactly what pain is – a reminder that you'll never be able to forget the hurt and the pain, the anger and the sadness of your past. Not even the moments that you want to forget more than anything, they're engraved onto your memory like scars are engraved onto your skin, burning and aching in sorrow. These moments are the ones that leave their mark on you the most. They change you in ways you never thought possible, make you question every decision that you've ever made in your life and all the people that you've decided to let in.

Is it right? Am I making a mistake? Is this all there's ever going to be? Is this who I am supposed to be? Do my decisions really decide who I'm going to be? What if I ought to be someone completely different?

Thousands of questions and yet no answers.

Life is a big mystery, an enigma just waiting to be solved by you. Gradually you're getting closer to the answer, to figuring it all out and yet, you're not even near to knowing the truth. There are many things that you learn with time – like Physics or Math, a new language or sometimes even how to deal with anger and sadness, grief and loss, but there are also those things that you will always be seeking the answer to. Like what's the point in all of this? Would anyone ever miss me? Why is it that I'm never good enough to be kept around? Who gets to decide how I live? And how is that even fair?

But isn't that the point in the end? Some mysteries - no matter how small or big - are just meant to stay unsolved. Some for the better and some for the worse.

I stirred, slowly waking up from a deep and yet restless sleep. I pushed my head against the back of my pillow. My eyes were pressed shut, my breathing uneven as an unbearable sting of pain shot through my head, making me bend in misery under the comforting warmth of my blanket. Every limb in my body hurt, every fibre of my body was screaming in sorrow. I dug my nails into the thick material of my quilt, desperately pulling it over my shivering body as I tried to recall the events of last night.

At first, it was just flashes, just tiny pieces of memories. Everything fused together into one big and unknown blur, the pain in my head robbing me of every ounce of concentration that I had left in my body. My heart raced against my ribcage, pumping in an unusual rhythm. I wanted to scream out, let it all out at once, but I kept quiet as images and voices, words and unspoken thoughts slowly started to flow back to me, one memory at a time, my consciousness trying to make sense of them.

There was Elijah, Grayson, and Molly. Their mouths moving, words filling the room and repeatedly playing back to my ears like an echo. Miranda. How they had contacted her, told her about my life and me and how she had judged us without really knowing our past. How she was planning to rip me out of my new life, away from all the people that I had grown to love. The place that had in some way grown to be my home – it might not have been where I truly belonged, but it was the closest I had ever come to a home up until now.

I remembered walking through the streets of Mystic Falls, heavy raindrops pouring down on me. Only one destination, one name repeating itself over and over again in my mind. Just like a song, a silent prayer. Something – someone - to grab onto for dear life, someone to cling on to as if they were my last lifeline, someone to stop me from toppling off the edge, from breaking down once and for all. I remembered his face, the unbelievable purity in his ice blue eyes as he stared down at me with such intensity in his gaze. I looked up at him, my head tilted to the side as those whispered words left my pale lips.

Confusion was written all over his face, and I knew he didn't understand. Just like everyone else, he had no idea. I had chosen to make every person in my life believe that I was perfectly fine, he believed that I was perfectly fine. I had lied.

The images of what happened next were unclear, nearly as if I wanted to forget what I had done. I'd pushed them somewhere deep inside of me, somewhere where I would never have to find them again. I could see myself removing his hand from cheek, giving him a last sad smile before I did what I do best – I ran away.

I groaned, pushing my face harder against my pillow, my head pounding, and my heartbeat increasing. I was shivering at the memories of the cold rain running down my pale skin as I kept running, my breathing quickening from exhaustion. I had been afraid, scared of my own feelings and what they were doing to me. The part of me that felt something so deep and unexpected for him wanted me to tell him the truth about my past and about me. It practically begged me to, but I couldn't. So I kept running, running until there was no more breath left in me and I collapsed onto the cold concrete ground.

Extreme heat was radiating from my body now instead of the shivering cold from last night. My hands clutched my blanket in agony. I felt sick to my stomach, the pain in my head growing stronger and more painful with every minute that passed, nearly as if it was about to explode.

I took a breath and closed my eyes in exhaustion, the door of my room opening in silence, the person on the other side clearly not wanting to wake me. I cracked one eye open, watching him as he skulked over to my bed before he carefully sat down next me. He gently touched my cheek, stroking it softly with the pad of this thumb, murmuring some words, which I could barely understand.

Gathering up all of my strength, I opened my eyes again and looked up at him, his face filled with worry and concern as he noticed the lack of energy that was contained in my body, the pale white of my skin and my tired eyes.

"Hey, you're awake," Grayson smiled softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Just peachy," I tried to smile back at him, but failed miserably.

"Oh baby girl," he shook his head lightly. "I thought we had agreed on no running away anymore. Who knows what would have happened to you if we hadn't found you last night."

"Yeah, I know and I'm so sorry. I just needed some space to think about her, about you, about everything."

"I get it, Elena, I do," he said, his voice soft and gentle, and yet I knew just how serious he really was. "But you can't keep on running away whenever things get complicated."

"I know, but…" I sighed, how could I explain something to him that most of the time I didn't even understand myself? "It's hard to let go of something that has been a common occurrence ever sin-since you can remember."

"You know," he began on a soft note. "I used to be just like you when I was a teenager, when the going got tough, I ran. I always did," he ran his hand nervously through his hair before continuing. "And then when your mother told me about you, my first instinct was to run again because that's what I had done all my life."

I nodded as I tried to sit up in my bed. "So, you guys gave me away. I understand it now, Grayson, you don't need to explain anymore."

"Yes, I do," he insisted. "We were scared, young, and alone and most definitely not ready. I know it's no excuse but it's the truth," he continued, his voice sincere and gentle. "It's not something I'm proud of. I let my fear get to me and back then, that meant losing you. If I could take it all back now, I would and I want you to know that."

"I do know."

The truth was that I did. Most people would probably expect me to hold a grudge against him, against them, but how could I hold something against them when I did the same thing? They got scared, so they ran. Wasn't that what I had been doing since, well, forever? I had taught myself early enough that nothing and no one was worth feeling any pain over, at least not over a long period of time. You get hurt, you try to forget, and you move on.

And sometimes, when the hurt just got too much and the memories were too painful, I ran and hid behind the walls that nobody was capable of breaking down. And in most moments, I was thankful that no one tried hard enough to look behind my façade because all they would find would be a damaged and broken toy.

"Don't be like me. Don't realise what you could have had when it's too late already," Grayson sighed softly, stroking the back of my hand. "You have to stop running eventually, baby girl."

"You say it like it's that easy."

"That's because it is," he emphasized. "You just have to find something worth staying for."

I looked up at him, my eyebrows knitted together in thought. "What was your reason to stop running?"

He smiled. "You."

My eyes shot up to his, my heart racing as I tried to register his words, repeating them over and over again in my head. Me? Of all the things and all the people in his life, I was the one person to make him stop running? In all the time that I had been alone and imagined how my father was like, the times that I wondered about the reasons why he gave me away, why he never chose to stick around, those were the last words I had ever imagined him to say.

"Me?" I croaked, my throat feeling completely sore all of the sudden.

Maybe, if Grayson had found his reason to stop running, I would find mine too someday.

"When you showed up at the service station a few weeks ago, I was certain that I wanted to have you in my life, but I could have just run away again, pretend like you never showed up in the first place," he took a deep breath, his eyes lingering in the distance. "But the moment I laid my eyes on you, all grown up and strong, I knew that you were my daughter and that I couldn't let go of you again. Till this very day, you're the only person that ever made me regret running, baby girl."

"Grayson, I-"

"Hey," John's head popped through the door, his gaze moving between the two of us before he noticed that he just had walked into a private conversation. My dearest uncle, ever so slow. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I could just came back-"

"No, no, of course not," Grayson waved off. "What did you want, John?"

"Two of Elena's friends from school are here to see her."

"Wait," I said, my gaze wandering between the two of them, confused about what was going on. "How late is it?"

"It's five o'clock in the afternoon," John said, entering my room. "How are you, little Gilbert?"

"Oh my god," I gasped, not paying any attention to his following words. "Did I sleep that long? Why did none of you wake me?"

"Elena," Grayson snarled, his gaze definitely disapproving, his lips pressed together. "You nearly got yourself pneumonia last night. You were drenched wet when we finally found you! Unconscious." He got up from my bed, his eyes locked onto to mine, his voice strict and serious, and yet worried. "I might add."

I buried my head in my hands, the guilt eating me up from the inside as I thought about the events of last night, about how much they must have been worried. It was all still kind of a blur, just fractions of moments melting together into one big moment, nothing really making sense. I couldn't see the stars or the moon, just the ice blue of his eyes following me around as I slipped into complete darkness, and his voice, the rough velvet tone of his voice e in my echoing in my ears.

It was strange how I could barely remember anything after leaving the Boarding House, just wetness and gasping for air as I ran. And his image, always his image before my eyes as I kept running, my heart pleading me to turn around and run back straight into his arms. My head kept telling me to go on, to never stop, and just keep running until I ran out breath.

I eventually did.

"I didn't mean to worry you guys, I'm sorry."

"We're just glad you're doing fine, baby girl, " Grayson planted a soft kiss on my temple, as I watched John nod from the doorway.

"Lena!"

My eyes shot up at the shrill sound of my friend's voice, only on time to see the blonde mop of hair flying at me. Her arms were quickly thrown around my neck, her grip crushing my already fragile body. I let out a quiet chuckle as I hugged her back gently, trying to regain my breath as best as I could.

"Care, oxygen!" I choked out. "I need to breathe!"

"Right, sorry," she let go of me, a soft smile playing on her lips as she sat down beside me, her worried eyes looking up at me.

"Hey," Matt entered the room, giving me a shy smile, his hands buried in the pockets of his navy blue jeans.

"Alright, I think my job here is done," Grayson clapped his hands together, already shoving John out of the door as he continued talking. "And remember, baby girl, you will always find another reason to run, but you can never really escape your past. Eventually you'll have to face it."

I nodded softly. "Thank you, Grayson."

"Come on, John, let's go," he smiled. "Oh Caroline, Matt, It's nice to finally meet you both."

"You too, Mr. G."

With another nod in my direction, both my father and uncle disappeared through the door, closing it behind them and leaving me alone with Caroline and Matt. I had never had friends that came over to visit me after school. Even when I missed school for weeks after Frank beat me up, or because he refused to let me into the house because I was home five minutes late and I ended up having a really bad cold, whatever happened to me, nobody ever cared.

I had always been the outcast, the strange kid that had no parents. I was the one who always wore clothes from last season, the girl that everybody either did his best at avoiding or just laughed at when I walked past them. So Caroline and Matt being there, for no particular reason, without me having to invite them over, it was strange and new. Yet, somehow, it felt good.

"Are you okay? Jesus girl, I was so worried when I heard that you weren't coming to school! What were you thinking?" Caroline exclaimed.

My mouth fell open in shock, surprise clearly written all over my face as I tried to process the rushed words that were leaving her lips. Maybe it was because of the light fear that was evident in her voice or the anger. Maybe it was just the expression on her face - the same that Grayson had when he entered my room that morning, – but I felt bad. I felt guilty about being so reckless, about not caring what would happen to me if I had kept running yesterday.

I hesitated, smiling uneasy at her. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh sorry is not gonna cut it, Missy," she snarled. "Your uncle John told us that they found you on the street in the rain! Unconscious! What were you even doing out there in those terrible weather conditions?"

"Would you believe me if I said that I was going for a walk?"

"In the middle of a bloody thunderstorm? Are you insane?"

"Hey, Caroline," Matt interrupted the fury that was Caroline Forbes, his voice gentle and soft as he talked, his doe eyes locked to mine. "Let her breathe. She had a rough night already, cut the girl some slack."

I smiled lightly at him, my nerves going down. "Thanks Matt."

"Ugh, I'm sorry 'Lena," she sighed. "I just… I just can't comprehend what must have made you go out yesterday night. When you didn't come to school today, we were all so worried that something might have happened to you."

My heartbeat raced against my chest, blood rushing through my veins, my head pounding. My eyes bulged out of my head, my throat tightening up. The people in this town surprised me time and time again. These people had known me less than two months and they treated me like we had known each other our whole lives while people that I had met over the years in foster care, grown up side by side with, they didn't even greet me when they passed the street anymore.

I gulped. "You were?"

"Of course we were, silly," Caroline chuckled. "We're your friends and it's our duty to be worried about you."

"I'm good," a small smile snuck upon my face. "Thanks for checking up on me."

A comfortable silence unfolded itself between the three of us, none of us willing to break it, seeking comfort in the presence of each other. From all the places that I had been to since I was born, the several orphanages, the foster care homes, the families who took me home with them only to give me away again a few months, sometimes even weeks later, nothing had ever felt as close to home as Mystic Falls did. I had never come across people that I could call my family, be it by blood or not. But here, these people, every single one of them, it felt like I had known them my whole life.

I didn't know if it had anything to do with the fact that Grayson was indeed my father or that I had come here on my own will, not forced by the people working in foster care or anyone else, but I liked it here. A lot, actually.

There was Grayson, John, and Jonas, Caroline and Matt, Stefan and Bonnie. Tyler. And then, then there was Damon. Damon and his ice blue eyes. There was the velvet tone of his voice and the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach every time he spoke to me.

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't look okay."

In some weird way, I already felt connected to every single one of them, to him. It was like all those years that I had been searching, seeking for a home, people to love, was finally coming to an end.

"Jeez, what a compliment, Matt."

"Oh shut up, Care," he snapped, his eyes searching for mine as he tried to figure out what was wrong, what I was hiding all this time.

I looked up at my friends, shrugging. "I just… had a very bad night, I guess."

Matt sat down on the chair in the corner of my room, his head tilted to the side, his lips bend into a light smile. "Do you wanna tell us what happened?"

"I needed to take my mind off a few things," I fiddled with my hands in my lap, trying to form a reasonable answer. "It's complicated. Yo-you wouldn't understand."

"Try us."

Both of their gazes were focused on me. They didn't have to say anything. I knew, just by the way they were looking at me, that they trusted me to tell them the truth and that even after the telling them, they would still be there to listen. And somehow, I actually believed it. In that moment, I was sure I could trust them. If not them, those who were worried about me just because I didn't show up at school for a day, who else could I trust?

Of course, there was Elijah, but he wasn't there. He was sitting miles away in Richmond, taking care of Amelia and Jensen just like he once had been taking care of me. I was here, in Mystic Falls, with Caroline and Matt, with my father. So maybe, just maybe, it was about time that I stopped relying on him and started relying on new people.

"You know how when you're a little kid, the whole world seems so beautiful and peaceful, sometimes even perfect to you and you dream of having this happy ending and all that kind of stuff? You just believe that everything is always going to stay that easy for you and that you're always going to be that happy," I began telling my story, my voice broken, yet soft. I didn't even know where I was going with my point; I just knew that once I started talking, I couldn't stop.

"When I was a kid, what most children enjoyed and lived for was nothing but a dream in the distance for me. There was no picture perfect world in my eyes unless it was the one in my imagination."

"I'm not saying that I had a horrid childhood because not everything about it was entirely bad, it was just… different from what you expect when you're only a little girl," I avoided their gazes, looking off into the distance as familiar images filled my head. "Remember that guy and that little blonde girl that showed up at the parking lot yesterday after school?"

Caroline nodded.

"Yeah, and there was this other guy that came shortly after Bonnie and I left, wasn't there? Short brown hair, tall and handsome?"

"That was Elijah," I chuckled.

"Who are they?" Matt butted in. "Your friends from Richmond?"

"You could say that," I smiled lightly to myself, thinking about all the times that I had lived through with those three people. "They've all been a very big part of my life back there and they still are," shaking my head, I looked back at Matt. "But that's not the point here."

"Then what are you getting at, El?"

"You asked me what happened last night and I want you to listen to every word I'm about to say and to understand that I might not be who you think I am," I took a deep breath. This was it, the moment that could possibly change everything, the moment they would find out who I really was. "But I don't want you guys to think any less of me either, even if my words might change your entire view of me."

"Elena, you're scaring us," Caroline sulked, clearly worried now. "Whatever it is that you're gonna tell us is not gonna change the fact that we're your friends and that we love you."

"The little girl's name is Amelia. She's only six but has a heart made out of gold. And the guy, that's Jensen. He might seem a little distant at first, but once you get to know him, he's the biggest sweetheart you'll ever meet. Especially with Amelia," talking about them, the pictures of their faces roaming before my eyes, I realised how much I missed them. "If I didn't know any better myself and if I hadn't seen the scars and the bruises, I would have thought that no one in the world could ever hurt those kids, but," I panted heavily, clutching onto my blanket as it was my life. "But the undeniable truth is that nowadays, not even the youngest of us are spared by society and the cruelty of people anymore. Especially not if they've been on their own for their whole lives."

"You have to know that Amelia and Jensen, they're foster kids," I breathed out. "They've been passed around between dozens of families in the past years, more than they can probably remember. And the truth is," this was it. "So is Elijah, and so am I. I'm one of them, one of those kids that sit on the porch of the orphanage every single day and wait for someone – anyone – to pick them up and take them home with them, to some place that would make them feel whole and wanted, loved, for once."

"It took me a while, but I feel like I finally found that place here in Mystic Falls with all of you guys. I came here to find my real father and I did. I found Grayson and he decided to take me in and finally be a family."

I finished my story off, trying to look anywhere but at them, my throat sore and dry, and my heart nervously pounding inside my chest. I was scared, terrified even, that they would never be able to look at me the same way again, and that in their eyes, I would not be worth it anymore. That I was nothing but trash, a broken toy ready to be taken to the garbage heap.

When I first came here, I wanted a new start, a new life away from my past and all the emotional baggage it brought with it. And now, here I was, pouring out my roots to my new friends – ones that until now had seen me as one of them, as someone normal with a normal background and a normal family, a normal life.

"So that's why you always call him Grayson instead of Dad," Caroline finally broke the silence, her words barely louder than a whisper. "We had no idea, Elena…"

"It's because I didn't want you to. I've kept it to myself ever since I was a little girl. The only people I ever let myself care for before I came here and moved in with Grayson were Elijah, Amelia and Jensen," I shrugged nonchalantly. "When you're building up those thick walls around your heart all your life and when you start getting used to people always leaving you, it gets harder every day to find the strength and the will in yourself to trust someone again," for the first time since I started talking, I looked up at them, my eyes locking onto theirs. "But I want to trust you guys, I really do."

Matt laid his hand on mine, squeezing it softly. "We're not going anywhere anytime soon, El."

"Yeah, we're here for you," Caroline nodded. "Whatever you need, Matt and I are both just a phone call away."

"Thank you, guys," I breathed out, a sudden wave of relief rushing over me. "You have no idea how much that really means to me, but… But that's not everything to it, yet."

"What else could there possibly be?" Caroline cried out.

"Caroline!"

"Sorry," she muttered, her eyes glued to the ground.

I chuckled lightly, knowing that everything was going to be okay eventually. They didn't look at me any differently even though they knew the truth. There was no pity in their eyes, no disgust or abhorrence. Instead there was worry and love, something soft that reminded me of Elijah whenever he was about to pull me in for a hug. They knew my story, and they hadn't run away yet. They were still here and that counted for more than either of them could ever possibly imagine. It meant everything – being accepted for who I was, past or no past, with all my flaws and quirks.

"Last night, I found out that my social worker, Mollie, had contacted my birth mother because Grayson wanted her to, something about her having the right to know that I'm living with him now," I explained. "Long story short, turns out she wants me to move in with her and her new family… In New Jersey."

"What?!" Caroline exclaimed, making me jump up in horror. "She can't do that! I mean… She can't, right? She isn't allowed to just take you away from here, is she?"

"I'm afraid she can, Caroline."

And that was what I was scared of the most, that she would take me away from Grayson and everyone else, force me to go and live with her and her family, not even bothering to ask what I wanted. With whom I wanted to live and where. Because Miranda couldn't possibly understand. All that she probably wanted was for her family to be reunited, to have back the daughter she had given away as only a teenager. Would she really care about what I wanted?

"But this is your home now, why would she do that?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "All I know is that I want to stay here, with all of you."

Matt gave my hand another squeeze, smiling softly, his gaze holding both mine and Caroline's in an intense glare that said more than words could ever express. He wanted me to stay here, too, because just as I had, they had also grown used to the fact of having me around and eating at the lunch table in the cafeteria with me, of driving me home whenever I was in need of a ride, of going on crazy shopping trips just because we felt like it. Those were all the things that all of us had got used to over the weeks, rituals that none of us really wanted to let go off.

"Oh come here, you sick girl," Caroline pouted, spreading out her arms for me to fall into. "Let momma hug you!"

* * *

_One week later._

Taking a mouthful of my freshly made waffle, I leaned back in my chair and mentally prepared myself for the long day that was ahead of me. A week filled with lots of tissues and cough sweets had passed, and I'd had enough time to recover from my night out in the rain. My cold was nearly gone for good, but that didn't stop the memories of my past from haunting me. The face that I wished to never see again, images that bound me to my past in ways that I didn't even want to think of, and memories of moments that nobody knew of, they were constantly replaying in my head. There were nights where I would wake up drenched in my own sweat, my screams piercing through the silence of the pitch-black night. It had been months – years - since I last had those nightmares. Yet something in my conscious must have changed since that rainy night because his face came back to haunt me every second of the damn day.

I tried my best to push away the memories and hide them in the darkest corner of my mind, leaving them there to rot and hopefully never be found again, but somehow they always found their way back into my though. They tore away at my conscious until my whole attention was focused upon them. My mind couldn't concentrate on anything else but those images, be it within the day, at night or the early morning hours. They were always there, smirking at me, waiting for me to notice them. Something wasn't right, like my brain was trying to tell me something that I couldn't comprehend.

"Back to school, huh?" John entered the kitchen, grinning at me and pulling me back into reality. "Excited?"

I looked up at him, my gaze indicating anything but excitement. I wasn't all jittery and fussy to go back and spend time with my friends again, but it was the thought of seeing Damon, of having to explain to him what happened that night which made me all nauseous and full of unwanted anxiety. What was I supposed to say to him? I couldn't possibly tell him the truth; not without having to answer an amount of questions that even I didn't have the answers to.

I knew that I had to face him eventually, that one day in the near future – if I really wanted our relationship to go on, which I did – I would have to tell him the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I would have to tell him about me, my family, everything with no exceptions. But not today, not before I was ready to do so. Until then, he would have to just trust me as I trusted him with my heart.

"Never mind. Stupid question," he waved it off. "I mean what nerd is excited nowadays to go to school, my fault."

"Oh no, John, you've got the complete wrong idea. This is actually my excited face," I shot him a sarcastic grin before dedicating my whole attention back to the waffles on my plate.

"I feel sorry for the guy who gets with you one day," he sighed, the slight dimples in his face indicated that he was trying his hardest not to laugh.

"What is that supposed to-" I got interrupted as John snatched the waffle out of my hand, completely ignoring any of my protests. "Hey! Give me my waffle back, you bastard!"

He grinned cheekily as he took a bite from my waffle."Delicious! Gray really has to reveal his secret to me one day, don't you think?"

"Alright, this means war," I groaned as I pushed up from the chair, ready to get my waffle back.

Before I was able to walk over to John, my father walked into the kitchen. There was a goofy smile on his face as he came to stand between the both of us, clearly knowing that we were in a fight. Just like every other morning… afternoon… or evening, for that matter.

"What are we kids fighting about this morning?"

I snarled, my arms crossed over my chest. "Your precious brother stole my waffle. Again."

Grayson shrugged his shoulders.

"He's your family too, so don't put it all on me now. I didn't choose to share the same DNA as him and neither did he. Believe you me, " he leaned in close to me and whispered loud enough for John to hear, "I would rather not."

"Okay, okay, I get it," John pouted, raising his hands up in surrender. "Today is 'Let's Say Mean Stuff about Uncle John Day', but there is no need to rub it under my nose, too."

I knitted my eyebrows together, my lips pressed tight as I spoke, and the sarcasm literally dripped from my tongue. "But that's every day, John, I thought you knew that."

"You know what? I don't-"

"Shit! I promised Caroline that I would show up early at school for once," I cut him off in sheer panic, no longer paying any attention to John. I slipped into my old leather jacket and picked up my school bag from the marble floor. "See you later guys!"

Without glancing back in their direction, I hurried into the small hallway of the flat, slipping into my favourite pair of black Chucks. I couldn't be late again. Caroline would kill me if I were, especially since I had her promised not to be. I sighed as I laced up my second shoe and then scurried around the hall in search for my keys. The last time I had seen them had been about a week ago, just before my night out in the rain, and they had been in –

"Elena! You forgot your keys! They were in the-"

"Thank you, I was just searching for them," I smiled softly at him as I took the keys from his hand and placed a small kiss on his cheek. "But I really have to go now. Bye, Grayson."

I noticed him smiling to himself out of the corner of my eyes as I turned around to leave the house. "Bye, baby girl."

…

It _only_ took me a mere five minute – one that included a lot of running and gasping for air, some deadly falls and once dangerous collision with Katherine Pierce - to get to Mystic Falls High. Hundreds of students had already began to crowd on the schoolyard as I tried to push my way through them all in order to find an one over-bubbly blonde mop of hair and her companions. In all the years that I had found myself in some school in some town, not once had there been a school in which I had gotten close to feeling this I did in this one. I felt embraced and welcomed, people were looking out for me and caring about what happened to me.

In the matter of moments, I had become one of them. I was no longer someone who was just standing in the wings, watching the other kids as they enjoyed their years together, but somehow, I had become one of those kids and not the outcast for once.

Unlike before, I wasn't isolated from the world.

This time, I was a part of it.

"Has any of you seen Elena? She said she would-"

"I'm here! I'm here!" I jumped in, completely out of breath from the entire journey. "Sorry, I-I completely forgot the time while eating breakfast."

Shouldering my bag, I looked around myself and took in the faces of every single one of them, reminding myself that this was really happening and that I wasn't just imaging it. I smiled at Caroline and her blonde shiny hair, her cyan eyes sparkling with excitement as she laughed. Matt and the uneasy smile that marked his lips every time that I looked at him. Bonnie, and the way her hair curled towards the end of it, her chocolate coloured skin and then Stefan, the way his green eyes glimmered in the sun, his sandy hair distinguishing him from his brother.

They were all different from one another and yet, all those people had grown to be the best of friends. I just happened to be lucky enough that they had decided to let me be a part of their group, their own kind of family.

"Oh you know," Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, her new Armani purse hanging lazily from her arms, her voice chirpy and filled with irony, and yet excitement. "It's not like we expected anything different from you. You're always late."

"There is still fifteen minutes before class. That's a new record for me," I reminded her. "Normally showing up five minutes after the bell is an achievement for me."

Matt bumped my shoulder lightly. His blue eyes were radiating a sense of happiness as he looked down on me. "Got to give her that, Care. She's right."

In that moment, for whatsoever reason, a quote that I had picked up from a poetry book once jumped back into my head – _Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things. _Whoever said that, woman or man, they were right. Sometimes, the biggest events were the ones which left you with the least exciting memories and it was the smaller ones which gave you a reason to smile. Then and there, in that moment, I was smiling and I was… nearly happy.

"How are you?" Bonnie gave me a quick hug, smiling a genuine smile. "Finally recovered from that horrible cold?"

Maybe even the closest to really being happy that I had come to be in a long time.

"I'm good. I'm ready to get back in the game with you guys," I grinned, strangely looking forward to whatever silly high school activity they had planned for the day. "So, what's on our schedule for today?"

"Ah, see? That's the spirit I like to see!" Caroline cheered, clapping her hands together in excitement. "So, the guys and I thought that we could-"

"Elena, baby, glad to see you back in the hallways of Mystic Falls High," a bright smiling Tyler Lockwood put his arm around my shoulder, placing a small kiss on my cheek, his eyes wandering around the group as he continued. "Got to say, it was quite boring without having you around to tease this past week. Caroline and Bonnie turned out to be quite boring."

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is who I like to I call my best friend," Caroline scoffed silently in the background. "Nice."

I chuckled quietly to myself as I watched both Bonnie and Caroline roll their eyes at Tyler, who was obviously enjoying himself. The guys just shook their heads at him. It felt good to be back at school with all of them, to be back to laughing and joking with them as we had done before my night out. It was a strange and yet wonderful feeling of familiarity and being around them made me forget my issues for a few seconds and just enjoy myself, enjoy the time that I had with my friends.

I smiled, bumping into his side lightly. "I missed you too, Tyler."

Within the whole week that I had been absent, after the day that Caroline and Matt had both stopped by together and every day after that, another one of them had visited me. One day it would be Stefan and Matt, Tyler and Caroline, or Bonnie and Stefan, and they would always bring me new stuff and tell me new stories to keep me updated on what was going on at our precious school. Caroline's stories mostly included Katherine Pierce and her minions, and the new ways she had found to torture her at cheer practice.

"Don't let his sweet words deceive you, El," Stefan butted in, clearly amused by the whole situation. "That guy just wants to get into your pants, isn't that right, Ty?"

"Shut up, man," Tyler stepped away from me to push his friend hard in the chest, both laughing and grinning from ear to ear as they continued their little play fight. I smiled secretly to myself; I guess boys never really grow up after all. "Nobody asked you."

"See? Told ya," Stefan let out a hard laugh, already preparing himself to run from every other punch Tyler was holding out for him.

"Oh, I'm gonna getcha, Stef!" Tyler shouted. "Best start running from the great Tyler Lockwood!"

Laughing loudly, our heads shaking in amusement, the rest of us followed them in a slow place into the inside of the school. Not much had changed in the last week and in some way, it felt good knowing that when I was strapped to my bed, not everything was changing around me. Most of the things were just as I left them. It gave me some kind of reassurance, a warm feeling that comforted my shattered insides.

We walked along the hallways, Caroline and Bonnie telling us their newest gossip, Matt and I listening quietly as they talked while Tyler and Stefan had dissolved into thin air.

That was when I saw _him_. Through an open door to a classroom, his muscled body moving gracefully around the desk as he picked up some papers, studying them with care and diligence, I saw the cerulean eyes that had plagued my dreams. My heart skipped a beat, the thousand butterflies in my stomach were flying around like crazy as I watched him, completely oblivious to everything else around me. None of it mattered – not Caroline's chattering, not Bonnie's newest gossip on Katherine Pierce and her minions or Matt's love for football – the only thing that seemed to make sense to me right then and there was looking at him.

I wanted to explain my absence to him and why I hadn't called or texted him at all or refused to answer his. Now was the moment to do so, maybe the last one that I would get in a while. It was now or never, literally.

"Guys, you can go ahead without me. I, um," I stopped in my tracks as I tried to think of a good lie, my eyes holding the image of his slender figure in that classroom, my thoughts already drifting off to the words I was planning on saying to him. "I still have to get my chemistry book from my locker."

Caroline raised an eyebrow at me, her lips turning into a sceptical smile. "You mean the one that's nearly falling out of your bag?"

"What? No," I looked down to my bag, and indeed, there it was. My chemistry book – _way to go, Gilbert!_ "I me-meant my physics book, of course. Sorry."

"Ehe," she nodded, her gaze clearly indicating that she didn't believe me. At all. "You want us to come with you?"

"No!" I responded too quickly, my voice too harsh, too panicked, and scared. Taking a deep breath, I tried again, this time more gently, slower. "I mean… I'm fine, thanks. I'll catch up in a few minutes, don't worry about me."

"Alright then," Bonnie smiled, waving me off and pulling Caroline with her before our blonde friend could interject with anything else. "We'll see you in class."

"Yes, I'll be right back," I smiled back at her, taking one deep breath after another before all three of them disappeared out of my sight.

It was clear to me in that moment that as much as I wanted to avoid this conversation, sooner or later I would have to face it anyway, whether I wanted to or not. So, before I could over think my decision and decide against it, I turned around and walked over to his classroom. There was no going back anymore.

I knocked lightly, leaning against the doorframe of the classroom, a nervous smile sitting on my lips. "Think you can fit in a few minutes for me?"

His eyes shot up from the papers that he was correcting, widening in shock or maybe surprise – I couldn't really tell. Something about the way he was staring at me made my heart beat faster and the uneasy feeling in the back of my stomach disappear, the way his eyes softened when his gaze landed on my face, our eyes connecting, our hearts binding together as one. I didn't know how or why, or even when it had happened, but in that moment something clicked in me. It was as if I had known it all along but just wasn't ready to hear it yet – all the reasons for my behaviour, the way I relied on that man ever since I got here, how I could not stand being away from him even if being with him was wrong in so many ways.

Then, as if a magical bond was pulling us together, we took small steps towards each other, our eyes staying locked, my body aching for his gentle touch, the back of my mind remembering how it had felt to be so close to him. Looking at him, I remembered the way our bodies had spoken to each other the night we had first met, drawing the other one in, fitting perfectly together like they had been made for each other all along, just waiting to be reunited.

"Elena," he whispered after a long pause of silence, the pad of his thumb stroking softly over my slightly reddened cheek.

Smiling, I leaned into his touch, savouring up every bit of the moment as if it could be our last one together, not ever wanting it to end.

I put my hand above his, slowly pulling it away from my cheek and intertwined our fingers. "Hey, Damon."

"How are you? I managed to find out from my little brother that you were sick and couldn't come to school," he played with my fingers as he leaned back against his desk. "I have to say that I had my doubts when you were gone for a whole week. I thought you had just gone off without a single word or goodbye," he shrugged, looking up at me. "I was worried."

I chuckled dryly, suddenly feeling the tension in the room. "What can I say? Once I get sick, I get really, really sick."

"Well, I hope, um," Damon bit his lips nervously – I had never seen him like this. He wasn't his usual confident and cocky self. "I hope that you're doing better now."

"Yeah, I still got a bit of a cold, but other than that," I nodded absently, already mentally avoiding the conversation that we were about to have. "I'm completely fine. Thanks."

"Of course," he took a deep breath and I could feel what was coming – the thing that I was trying to postpone the best of my abilities. "Listen Elena-"

"I know what you're about to ask me, Damon, and I understand that you have a lot of questions right now," I interrupted him, my voice low and quiet as if I was afraid of my own words. "But I'm not sure that I can give you the answers that you want to hear."

"Any answer would be good at this point of time."

"I know and," I stammered because inevitably, I had no idea what to say. "I-I'm sorry."

Damon got up from his desk, letting go of my hand as he spoke. He seemed exhausted and yet angry, cold at the same time. "So, I take it that you're not going to tell me what happened the other night."

"I can't, Damon," he was now turning his back on me, running his hands nervously through his pitch-black hair. I had a feeling that this was going to end differently from what I had planned when I came here, but I had to go through with it now. There was no do-over in this case. "I just… I can't."

"You can't, or you don't want to?"

That was the million-dollar question. There was a part of me that was sure that Damon could be trusted and that he would never betray me. That part wanted to just let all of my guards down for once and tell him about all the things that I had been through in my life, things that I had never even dared to tell anybody else because I was frightened of the consequences. That part wanted to trust him, needed to trust him. Then there was the other part of me, one that I myself wasn't very proud of. The part that didn't let anybody in, that scared everyone off because it was sure that nobody would care enough to stay. That was the part that would always get into my way whenever I tried to be happy. It would erupt in the back of my mind, whispering, mumbling, and trying its hardest to tear me away from everything that even came close to happiness.

So maybe, a part of me was ready to tell him, but I myself wasn't. One day, I was sure that I would tell him if he was still a part of my life, but right now, I couldn't. There was just too much to lose, and with having lost as many people and things in life as I had already had, I couldn't afford to lose him too. Not now that I was getting used to having him around, to laughing with him, to kissing him… to simply being with him.

"Both? I guess," I sighed, placing my hand on his back to get him to look at me. "I just… I don't want you to look at me in any other way than you do right now. I like you, I really really like you, and I don't want this thing that we have going for us here to change."

He turned to face me, his eyes sparkling with what could either be joy or sadness. "And you think telling me would change all of that? Don't you have a little faith in me?"

"That's not it, Damon, and you know that," I contradicted, my voice slowly gaining strength and confidence. "I just don't have enough faith in myself to tell you right now," his eyebrows knitted together in question and it seemed like he wanted to protest at one point, but he let me continue anyway. "And someday, when I'm ready, I'm gonna tell you everything. I promise. But that day isn't today."

I smiled sadly, my hand searching for his as I kept talking, my head tilted to the side. "Right now, I just want to enjoy this. Us being together, no worries and no problems aside of when our next date is, or if we're going to eat Italian or French food for dinner. Just us, can you do that for me? Please?"

A tense silence fell upon us, neither of us daring to speak up, only the even sound of our breathing filling the room. I was scared of what his next words might be, and yet anxious to hear them. I could only hope that he trusted me enough to give me a chance, that even though I didn't pour out my heart to him when he asked for the truth, he would still want me in his life.

"Okay."

I looked up at him in surprise, expecting every answer on the moon but not this one. "Okay?"

"I said okay," he nodded softly, intertwining our hands once again. "If that's what you want, then I trust you."

A big smile spread on my face, his words taking a load off my mind. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet," he grinned cockily – definitely back to his old self – before he leaned towards me, his arms looping around my waist as he pulled me closer. His lips pressed gently against mine, the soft and delicate taste of his making me moan in pleasure, the familiar scent of his cologne making me pull him closer to me, my hands slowly going around his neck. He pulled back after a few seconds, excessively early if somebody asked me. "Now you can thank me."

I cocked my eyebrows at him. "Cocky much?"

"Very much."

"Mhm, I missed this. You," I planted a soft kiss on top of his lips. "Kissing you, being with you."

Without another word being said, my lips found his again in a moment of passion. Both of our control was shot and we lost ourselves in the other. Damon nibbled softly at my bottom lip, making me crave the smooth motion of our tongues colliding together even more. God, I had no idea how I had been able to survive one week without his kisses, the things he could do with his tongue making me go crazy, let alone all the years before I had even known him.

And as if the universe had a way of telling me that I was going to miss his kisses for a little while more, once again, my phone vibrated in the back pocket of my jeans, indicating that I was getting a text message. Whoever that was, I was going to kill them for ruining my perfect moment with Damon after a week of being apart, of not being able to touch him, to feel him against me.

Damon let his head fall back in annoyance. "Can't you just-"

"It's Caroline," I groaned against his lips, eying the text message that I had just received on my phone. "She wants to know where I am. I've been taking up way too much time getting that physics book out of my locker."

"Guess you gotta go then, pouty."

"Argh, couldn't they give us another five minutes?" he chuckled lightly at my protest to leave. "I was really starting to enjoy myself here."

"Starting to, huh?"

I nodded cheekily, pulling his lips down to mine again, our tongues losing themselves in a passionate battle. His lips were smooth and gentle; his tongue tenderly playing with mine and his hand was rubbing over my back. Nothing else mattered in that moment, and yet I knew that if I didn't leave soon that somebody would catch us eventually. That was the last thing that was supposed to happen.

"I really gotta go now," I pushed him away from me, telling myself not to fall back into his trap again as my gaze landed on his smooth lips, calling me to press my own against them for the umpteenth time that morning. "The others are waiting for me and you've got a class coming in any second."

"Come by my house tonight?" he pulled me back by my arm, smiling down at me, his eyebrows wiggling. "We can continue this extremely interesting conversation that we just had and this time, no bell in the world will interrupt us."

I pretended to consider his option even though I already knew exactly what I was going to say. A light blush crept up onto my cheeks, a small smile playing on my lips, as I stepped away from him and started to stroll towards the door before turning back one more time to face him, waving him goodbye as the words left my mouth, making him light up in response.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

_Then I see you standing there_  
_Wanting more from me_  
_And all I can do is try_  
_Then I see you standing there_  
_I'm all I'll ever be_  
_But all I can do is try_  
_Try_

_All of the moments that already passed_  
_We'll try to go back and make them last_  
_All of the things we want each other to be_  
_We never will be_  
_And that's wonderful, and that's life_  
_And that's you, baby_  
_This is me, baby_  
_And we are, we are, we are, we are_  
_Free_  
_In our love_  
_We are free in our love  
_

* * *

**A/N: SO SORRY! I had basically no time to write at all and as I was on holiday these past two weeks, I finally found the time! Big thanks goes as always to my beta Molly, and to all of you who've reviewed, followed and favourited my story. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Twitter: PureHeaart**


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